The significance of clinicopathological aspects of tumor for the detection of liver micrometastasis in patients with colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Colorectal tumor is one of the main causes of death in our country. The aim of the present study was to determine the clinicopathological aspects of tumor and the presence of hepatic micrometastasis in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty two patients with CRC were evaluated in the study surgical treatment was performed and liver biopsy was taken for the evaluation of micrometastasis by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction. The variables that have been evaluated were: Patient's gender, patients age at the time of diagnosis, size and location of tumor, tumor-node-metastasis stage and grade of the primary tumor, lymph node involvement, lymphovascular and neural invasion, presence of macrometastasis and carcinoembryonic antigen level prior to surgery. After 1 year patients were called and asked to come back to the clinic for elective colonoscopy to evaluate the surgical site for recurrence of tumor and survival. All variables were compared between patients in whom liver micrometastasis were present in comparison with patients without liver micrometastasis. RESULTS: Of the studied patients (6 with positive micrometatsis and 36 without micrometstasis), 38 were alive after 1 year (6 with positive micrometatsis and 32 without micrometstasis) and the difference was not significant between groups with or without micrometastasis (P = 0.52). In four of survived patients colonoscopy was abnormal, however this difference was not also significant between groups (P = 0.59). CONCLUSION: Clinicopathologic aspect of tumor was not different in CRC patients with and without hepatic micrometastasis.