The Role of Suture Material on Tumor Implantation

Cole kindled a new flame in the field of cancer research in 1952, when he pointed out the high incidence of recurrence at the suture line following primary resection and end-to-end anastomosis for carcinoma of the colon.¹About the same time, Morgan and Lloyd-Davies,²and Goligher and associates³reported similar findings. Haverback and Smith⁴emphasized the role of the suture in transplanting tumor cells and stimulated additional research related to the control and prevention of this form of tumor transplantation. In previous studies from this laboratory, mechanical methods have been of little value in the control of tumor recurrence at the anastomotic area.⁵,⁶Chemotherapeutic irrigation of the anastomosis also was ineffective in reducing the incidence of tumor recurrence at the anastomotic site.⁵,⁷,⁸ Gubareff and Suntzeff⁹showed that a suture treated with a weak iodine solution effectively decreased the transplantation of a highly malignant rhabdomyosarcoma