BackgroundEmergency surgery for colon cancer, as a result of obstruction, has been vitiated by a high frequency of complications and poor survival. The concept of “bridge to surgery” includes either placement of self-expanding metallic stents (SEMS) or diverting stoma of an obstructing tumour and subsequent planned resection. The aim of this study was to compare acute resection with stoma or stent and later resection regarding surgical and oncological outcomes and total hospital stay.MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort study. All 2424 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer during 1997–2013 were reviewed. All whom underwent acute surgery with curative intention for left-sided malignant obstruction were included in the study.ResultsOne hundred patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Among them, 57 patients were treated with acute resection and 43 with planned resection after either acute diverting colostomy (n = 23) or stent placement (n = 20). The number of harvested lymph nodes in the resected specimen was higher in the planned resection group compared with acute resection group (21 vs. 8.7; p = 0.001). Fewer patients were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy in the acute resection group than in the stoma group (14 % (8/57 patients) vs. 43 %, (10/23 patients; p = 0.024)). Patients operated with acute resection had a higher 30-day mortality rate and were more frequently left with a permanent stoma.ConclusionsDecompression of emergency obstructive left colon cancer with stent or stoma and subsequent curative resection appears safer and results in a higher yield of lymph node harvest, and fewer patients are left with a permanent stoma.

Introduction/Background The aim of the study was to assess morphological predictors for lymph node metastases (Stage III disease) in colon cancer on computed tomography. Methods and materials Ninety-four patients with histology-proven colon cancer (adenocarcinoma) who underwent elective primary curative resection between the years 2012 and 2014 were included. Contrast-enhanced CT examinations were independently reviewed by two blinded observers regarding tumor location, depth of tumor invasion, and presence of lymph node metastases. Ocular presence of internal heterogeneity and presence of irregular outer border were used as morphological criteria for lymph node involvement. Protocol-based histopathology after curative surgery served as reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values, and accuracy for each morphological criterion for prediction of stage III disease were calculated. Inter-observer agreement was compared using Kappa statistics. Results According to histopathology, 59 patients were staged as I-II disease and 35 patients were staged as stage III disease. The presence of internal heterogeneity in a lymph node on CT resulted in moderate sensitivity (66-77%) but high specificity (95-95%) for prediction of Stage III disease by both observers. The presence of irregular outer border also resulted in poor sensitivity (49-54%) but high specificity (97-97%). The combination of either internal heterogeneity and/or irregular outer border per patient resulted in a moderate sensitivity (67-77%) and high specificity (95-95%), PPV (89-96%), and NPV (84-88%). Inter-observer agreement (Cohens Kappa) was 0.72. Consensus reading for the combined criteria resulted in sensitivity and specificity of 69% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion Using morphological criteria for lymph node metastases on CT examination in patients with colon cancer results in high specificity but moderate sensitivity in predicting stage III disease.

MRI provides information that may contribute to improve the differentiation between sigmoid cancer and diverticulitis that is offered by CT. These encouraging results need to be confirmed in a larger study.

Background Computed tomography (CT) is used routinely for the preoperative detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) metastases. When small indeterminate focal liver lesions are detected that are too small to characterize (TSTC) on CT, additional imaging is usually needed, resulting in a potential delay in obtaining a complete diagnostic work-up. Purpose To determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound (US) of the liver performed in direct conjunction to CT in the preoperative investigation among patients with newly diagnosed CRC when indeterminate liver lesions were found on CT. Material and Methods Preoperative investigations with CT and consecutive US where CT had shown at least one focal liver lesion in 74 patients diagnosed with CRC between June 2009 and February 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Either histopathological findings or a combination of imaging and clinical follow-up one to three years after surgery was used as the reference. Results Liver metastases were diagnosed with CT/US in 13 out of 74 patients (17.6%). In one patient, a liver cyst was preoperatively regarded as liver metastasis by a combined CT/US. The sensitivity and specificity for the CT with consecutive US procedure was 100% (13/13) and 98.4% (60/61). Conclusion US performed in conjunction with CT in patients with indeterminate focal liver lesions on CT is an accurate work-up for detection of liver metastases in patients with newly diagnosed CRC. Although our results are promising, they cannot be considered safely generalizable to all hospitals.