The author had the opportunity in a 31-year period of practice in Coloproctology, from 1965 to 1996, to attend 24,200 patients, being 923 (3.8%) patients bearing cancer of the large bowel. Eight hundred and seventy (870 - 3.6%) of them were colorectal cancer (adenocarcinoma) and 53 (0.2%) were carcinoma of the anus. In 490 cases (56.3%) cancer were localized in the colon and 380 (43.7%) in the rectum. The aim of this work is to study these 490 patients bearing colon cancer as far as several data are concerned as topographic distribution, complications, graduation, stage and no resectability of tumors, age, gender, symptoms, clinical and proctologic findings and survival rates and coincidence of polyps in the patients. Colon cancer were more common (53,1%)in the rectum (41,2%) than in the anus(5,7%). Colon cancer were far more common in the left colon (77,8%) than in the right colon (22,2%), the sigmoid and rectosigmoid were the most common topography of colonic cancer (61,6%). The mean age of the patients was 60,6 years, far more common between 40 and 80 years of age (86,7%) and with little difference between men (52.2%) and women (47.8%). The most frequent symptoms were constipation and diarrhea (70.6%), abdominal cramps (59.6%), blood in the stools (58.6%) and alteration of shape of the feces (55.5%). Localized A and B Dukes disease were more common (69.4%) than Dukes C and D (30.6%). Distal tumors (left colon) were more disseminated (73.2%) than proximal tumors (right colon) (55.9%). The coincidence of polyps and colon cancer reached 16.3%, they were more common during 5 years after surgery (8.3%) than before (1.4%) and by the occasion of the surgery (6.6%). Isolated polyps (up to 3 polyps) were more common (76.3%) than multiple polyps (23.7%). Operability of patients was 98.0% and resectability of tumors was 94.1% and no significant difference was observed as far as localization of tumors is concerned. Complications of tumors of left colon were far more common (14.4%) than tumors of the right colon (4.6%), intestinal obstruction were the most common complication.
Colon cancer; cancer; epidemiology of colon cancer
