One area which has emerged as an important factor for predicting molecular profile and treatment outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is primary tumor location. The importance of molecular characteristics of colorectal cancer has been firmly established in terms of prognosis and treatment algorithms for many years. Recent studies have also suggested that molecular profiles are important in locoregional therapies as well, with some data suggesting changes in treatment algorithms based on tumor location. Therefore, it is important for interventional radiologists to understand the basic molecular characteristics and development pathways of mCRC. Here, these disease characteristics are reviewed and the differences in left- versus right-sided primary tumor location are explored.
Keywords: Left-sided colon cancer; Metastatic colorectal cancer; Primary tumor location; Right-sided colon cancer.