Surgical treatment of colon cancer. Retrospective analysis of 439 patients Resultados del tratamiento quirúrgico del cáncer de colon. Análisis de 439 pacientes

Background: Mortality for colon cancer duplicated in the last 15 years in Chile. Aim: To analyze immediate and late results of surgical treatment of colon cancer. Material and Methods: Retrospective analysis of 439 patients aged 22 to 92 years, 55% women, subjected to elective surgery for colon cancer between 1991 and 2007. Results: At the moment of surgery 86% of tumors were resectable and 25% were in stage IV. Twenty one percent of patients had surgical complications, 4% had to be reoperated and 1% died. Ten years global survival for stages I to III was 82%. Survival significantly decreased for stages IIIb and forward. Preoperative carcinoembrionic antigen, vascular permeation, the number of involved lymph nodes and chemotherapy were relevant prognostic factors. If TNM classification is included in the model, only vascular permeation and lymph node involvement remain as prognostic factors. Conclusions: TNM classification and lymph node involvement are the main survival prognostic fa