| Theme |
Villous Tumor |
| Title |
Clinical characteristics of villous tumors of colorectum |
| Author |
Kyoko Ohkubo |
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendal City Medical Center |
| Author |
Atsuo Matsunaga |
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendal City Medical Center |
| Author |
Mikiko Nomura |
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendal City Medical Center |
| Author |
Kiyoshi Uchimi |
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendal City Medical Center |
| Author |
Dai Hirasawa |
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendal City Medical Center |
| Author |
Takashi Suzuki |
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendal City Medical Center |
| Author |
Shigeharu Senoo |
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendal City Medical Center |
| Author |
Yutaka Noda |
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendal City Medical Center |
| Author |
Naotaka Fujita |
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendal City Medical Center |
| [ Summary ] |
To clarify the clinical characteristics of villous tumor of the colon (VT), we reviewed 36 cases of VT, experienced in our department, along with a review of the pertinent literature. Pragmatically, there is no established definition of VT. This could cause confusion and controversy when analyzing this disease entiry. In our series, 67% of the patients showed no symptoms, which strongly opposes the data appearing in the literature (5-25%). This is probably due to the increasingly frequent application of colonoscopy.VT, an uncommon neoplasm, occurs in the sigmoid colon or rectum in 65% to 94% of cases. A typical VT is reportedly large in size and has a broad base, with villous projections on its surface. However, the average size in our patient group was much smaller than that reported in the literature (19.4+/- 16.9mm v.s. 37-74mm), only 35% of them having villous fronds on the surface.
VT is known to have a high malignancy potential. Some researchers have suggested that the high frequency of malignancy is due to the large size of VTs. To facilitate the planning of adequate treatment strategy, a definition of VT in relation to the malignancy potential, as an independent condition, is awaited. |