Recurrent Mode of Colorectal Cancer after Hepatectomy for Hepatic Metastasis with Special Reference to CEA Doubling Time

Shoichi Fujii, Shigeo Ohki, Hideyuki Ike, Hidenobu Masui, Hiroshi Shimada

Second Department of Surgery, Yokohama City University, School of Medicine

To determine the mode of recurrence of colorectal cancer, carcinoembryonic antigen doubling time (CEA-DT) was studied in 25 patients with recurrence after hepatectomy for heterochronous hepatic metastasis. Five patients (20.0%) had hepatic metastasis alone, 14 (56.0%) had hepatic metastasis besides other organ metastasis and 6 (24.0%,) had other organ metastasis alone. After hepatectomy, in 13 patients (52.0%), the CEA-DTs were shorter, in 6 (24.0%), there was no change, and in 6 (24.0%), they were longer. The CEA-DTs were equal in the 5 patients whose site of recurrence was remnant liver alone. In the 20 patients whose recurrence sites were extrahepatic organs, the CEA-DTs after hepatectomy differed variably from those before hepatectomy (r= 0.23, p=0.33). These findings suggest that the growth rate of hepatic metastatic tumors from colorectal cancer was constant even in remnant liver metastasis after hepatectomy. In the case of CEA-DT changing after hepatectomy, we suspect that there is metastasis to an extrahepatic organ, such as lung, peritoneum or local recurrence.

Key words
CEA doubling time, recurrent mode of colorectal cancer, hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer, growth rate of tumor

Reprint requests
Shoichi Fujii Second Department of Surgery, Yokohama City University, School of Medicine
3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama City, 236 JAPAN

Accepted
October 9, 1996

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