Characterization of patients operated on for colorectal cancer in Las Tunas

Background: colorectal cancer has become a health problem on a worldwide scale, resulting in a high mortality.Objective: to characterize the patients with colorectal cancer operated on at the "Dr. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna" General Teaching Hospital of Las Tunas, from January 2016 to December 2018.Methods: a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in a population of 60 patients older than 19 years of age, operated on for colorectal cancer and with complete clinical histories at the aforementioned hospital and during the period declared in the objective. The following variables were assessed: age group, sex, anatomical location of the tumor, histological type and the definitive surgical treatment performed.Results: 56,8 % were women; 70 % of the cases were older than 60 years of age. The chief complaints in the consulting visits were abdominal pain, alterations of the intestinal habit and anemia. The most frequent location was the right colon and the predominant histological type was adenocarcinoma (80 %). The mostly used surgical technique was right hemicolectomy with ileo-transversostomy.Conclusions: the patients with colorectal cancer operated on in Las Tunas and included in the study were characterized. Adenocarcinoma was the predominant histological type.