Metastatic Colo-Rectal Carcinoma (CRC) to the Liver
Cancer of the colon and rectum (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the United States and the rest of the developed world. This cancer arises from abnormal growths, commonly referred to as polyps, that develop in the glands and cells that line the colon and rectum. Approximately 175,000 people a year in the United States will develop colon and rectal cancer and about 35% of them (60,000) die each year. So as a general rule, it's a difficult disease to treat. Some patients have an early form of the disease where it is confined to the lining of the colon or rectum and are cured when the tumor is discovered early and removed entirely by a colonoscopy or with an operation. Unfortunately, for most patients the tumor is more advanced when it is first discovered and has already spread outside the colon to other places in the body. The most common sites in the body to which CRC spreads are the lymph nodes, liver, and lungs, in that order. Of all tumors that spread to the liver, CRC is the most common. CRC can also recur inside the colon or rectum and on the surface of the intestinal cavity (called peritoneal implants).
