A NEW METHOD OF RECORDING ENDOSCOPIC AND OPERATIVE FINDINGS IN COLORECTAL NEOPLASIA

A new method of recording 12 relevant facts concerning patients with colorectal neoplasia has provided a neoplastic profile for each patient. With this information recorded on an outline of the colon one can see at a glance the date, histology, and location of the initial lesion; the number and timing of both synchronous and metachronous lesions and their histology; the size, differentiation, and location of each lesion; plus a family tree. This method provides pertinent clinical facts in chronological order and characterizes each patient's neoplastic activity without the need to refer to operative notes and laboratory reports. With this method, it is easy to record and easy to interpret, and it has been extremely useful in the clinical assessment of patients with colorectal neoplasia and in arranging appropriate surveillance for these patients.