Dr. Kazmi on Differences Between Left- Versus Right-Sided CRC Tumors

Syed Kazmi, MD, an oncologist at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, discusses differences between left- and right-sided tumors in patients with colorectal cancer.

Clinical differences regarding tumor sidedness have the most important implications in the metastatic first-line setting, according to Kazmi. Previous studies have indicated biologic differences between left- and right-sided tumors that derive from different embryonic origins. Moreover, these tumors also have different molecular profiles, Kazmi adds.

Right-sided tumors can occur in the ascending colon up to the hepatic flexure, while left-sided tumors develop in the descending colon, splenic flexure, and rectum, Kazmi concludes.