Angiography in colonic carcinoma

Angiography of the mesenteric arteries was performed in 17 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum. At angiography, the marginal artery was encased in 13 patients and 10 of these were surgically unresectable while three could be resected radically. Encasement of the mesenteric arterial branches was found in seven of 11 unresectable tumors and in two of five resectable tumors. The resectability of colonic carcinoma cannot be established by means of angiography but in two patients with recurrent colonic carcinoma, barium-enema examinations were negative, while infiltrated vessels were demonstrated by angiography and the carcinomas were verified at surgery. Four patients received intra-arterial chemotherapy with mitomycin C. In one of these, a slight decrease in tumor size was noted, while in the others no change was noted.