A case of recurrent colon cancer patient who gained a long-term survival by repeated and aggressive surgical resection

A case is a woman of 55-years-old. We performed right hemicolectomy with liver S7 partial excision (a postoperative diagnosis of the hepatic lesion, adenoma) for ascending colon carcinoma of type 2 with hepatic metastasis. Postoperative diagnosis was ss, n2, ly2, v2, Stage IIIb, based on the Japanese classification of colon cancer. Twelve months after the first operation, she was developed intestinal atresia by an abdominal wall recurrence, and we performed the operation of abdominal wall mass resection with a partial resection of small bowel. Afterwards she developed a recurrence three times in the abdominal wall or intra-abdominal lymph nodes during the next 1 year and six months, and we performed a local excision each time. The pathological findings in reoperations were all metastasis from ascending colon carcinoma of primary operation. After the final operation, we did not perform chemotherapy because the patient wished not to have it. There has been no recurrence for 6 years since the first operation, or 3 years since the last operation. Recently, the therapy for recurrent colon cancer has been shifted to more effective chemotherapy such as FOLFOX or FOLFIRI regimen, and a surgical resection is becoming rare. However, we experienced a case of recurrent colon cancer treated with four aggressive surgical resections that was beneficial for a long-term survival.