[Comment] Is sidedness prognostically important across all stages of colorectal cancer?

Traditionally, colorectal cancer has been topographically divided according to position of the primary tumour, either above or below the peritoneal reflection (ie, separated into colon and rectal cancer, respectively). Differences in terms of epidemiology and patterns of metastasis have been described between these two entities1 and there has been a steady evolutionary divergence in terms of their oncological management. Acceptance of this division has frequently led to either a priori exclusion of one geographical entity or the other from a specific therapeutic trial; or at least stratification to achieve balance between these two separate primary subsites across the groups of such studies.

http://ift.tt/2eOf4Qt