Timely Chest Imaging for Colorectal Cancer Patients: Is It Needed?

Colorectal cancer can metastasize in upto 50% of patients, and one of the most common areas colorectal cancer spreads to is the lungs, affecting up to 18% of the patients. A retrospective study has identified a subset of colorectal cancer patients that may benefit from early chest imaging to identify cancer that has spread to the lungs and provide timely treatment. The study reviewed the data from 1600 colorectal cancer patients with or without lung metastases and investigated the risk factors of lung metastases development.

Key findings 14.6% of patients developed lung metastases (median time: 15.4 months post-surgery). Age, neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy, lymph node ratio, lymphovascular and perineural invasion, and KRAS mutations are identified as risk factors for lung metastases development. Patients who required systemic therapy for colorectal cancer around the time of the surgery…