Cancers of the traverse colon

Cancers of the traverse colon represent around 10% of colorectal cancers.

Often they are diagnosed late. They manifest in a complicated form in 30 to 50% of cases  (occlusion, perforation, internal fistula).

The evolution of symptoms is often gradual, with harmful effects. Tumours of the right transverse colon are often large, and sometimes with abscesses in the anterior abdominal wall or in the  retroperitoneum .

They can also invade nearby organs and become fistulas.

Tumours of the left transverse colon are often small cancers, stenosing and occlusive.

The T4 form tumours represent 20 to 40% of cases.

A volume CT scan is the best performing examination to assess the extent these tumours have evolved. 

Because of their central position in the abdomen, and the frequency of evolved forms, differential diagnoses of tumours of the transverse colon are numerous.

Cancers of the median traverse colon  create problems of extracting affected ganglions and re-establishing continuity.

The choice of the type of resection depends particularly on the anatomic conditions.

Locoregional recurrences take the form of a retroperitoneal tumoral mass.

The published surgical case reports concerning tumours of the transverse colon date back to the ’70s and ’80s. The surgery was curative in less than 50% of cases. The morbidity and mortality rates were around 20%. The global survival rate after 5 years was less than 35%.

Tumours of the transverse colon were gloomy prognoses.