[Cancer of the colon. Survival and prognosis after surgical treatment in a series of 1000 patients].

During the last 20 years, 1,000 patients were operated on for a single cancer of the colon, 497 men and 503 women (mean age: 67 years). Resection was performed in 93% of the patients and resection with curative intent in 80% of the patients. Carcinomas located on the left colon were usually treated by segmental resection. There were 8 postoperative deaths, 4 of them after curative resection. The crude 5-year survival rate established from the 754 patients operated on before 1984, with a follow up for all of them except 5, was 60% after all operations and 76% after curative resection. Prognosis was not influenced by tumor site and time elapsed between first symptom and operation. The 5-year survival rate was higher in female patients and in patients less than 50 years. Tumor staging was the main prognostic factor. Based on Dukes' classification, the 5-year survival rate for A, B, C, D tumors was 90%, 78%, 56% and 5% respectively.