Carcinoma of the colon and rectum with liver involvement

The records of 126 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum who presented with liver involvement were reviewed. Prognosis was determined by the amount of metastases to the liver, which was usually extensive of ascites or a raised alkaline phosphatase level was present. The longest survival period was achieved with resection of the primary tumor along with hepatic lesions confined to a single lobe, especially those due to direct tumor infiltration. If liver deposits were found bilaterally, palliative resection of the primary lesion relieved intestinal symptoms. This may also prolong the survival time, because a fixed primary tumor appeared to diminish the outlook among patients with comparable liver disease. Palliative resection in the presence of ascites resulted in a high mortality, and the survival rate was no better than that after diversion procedures. We recommend resection without anastomosis for carcinoma of the rectosigmoid in patients with ascites and unresectable secondary lesions of the liver.