The distribution of liver metastases from colonic cancer. A quantitative postmortem study.

54 livers of patients with colonic cancer were investigated in a postmortem study. 26 livers contained metastases from colon carcinoma. Assessment of the number, size and location of metastases was made. The possible interdependence of the site of the colonic primary and the location of its secondaries in the liver was examined. Results suggest an approximately homogeneous distribution of metastases from colonic cancer in the hepatic parenchyma, irrespective of the location of the primary tumour.