[Colonic cancers. A retrospective study of 1122 surgically-treated patients]

Abstract

A retrospective study of 1122 cancers of the colon operated by the same surgical team from 1973 to 1989 makes a number of statements possible: In spite of the improved diagnostic means, 66 (5.8%) only of the cancers were of Dukes' type A. 116 patients had complications, ie. perforation in 9 cases and obstruction in 107, among which 59 were operated within 24 hours. The rate of resection is very high: 93.8%. In 8.1% of all cases the excision was extended because of invasion of neighboring tissues. Curative resection was performed in 844 patients, while surgery was palliative in 278, including 205 excisions. The total operative mortality was 5.8%, sinking to 3.9% for curative surgery. It is as high as 22% in emergent surgery. Since 1981, it has been lower than 1% and only caused by general factors. The survival rate of 557 patients after more than 5 years is 46.6%. This rate was studied according to various parameters (sex, location, features of excision, Dukes' stage, involvement of lymph nodes). Lymph node involvement and Dukes' stage are the only factors having a significant influence on survival. In 90.0% of cases, the long-term death of patients followed up for more than 5 years is caused by hepatic metastases (66.6%), local recurrence (13.3%) or both (20%). The occurrence of local recurrence or hepatic metastases can sometimes be treated by second surgery, which has been performed in 20 patients: 11 hepatic resections with a 26.8% survival at 5 years, and 9 excisions for local recurrence with 12.4% survival at 5 years.