Summary
An analysis of the records of 2,261 patients with histologically-proven adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum is presented. Of these, 90 per cent were first seen because of symptoms. Fifty per cent of the lesions were situated within reach of the sigmoidoscope. A definite shift in the relative frequency of tumors arising in the colon as compared with those arising in the rectum was observed during a period of 20 years. The over-all five-year survival rate was 31.5 per cent. In patients with potentially curable lesions, the five-year survival rate was 58 per cent.
Adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum is more lethal in the young. Survivorship favors females over males. Patients with lesions of the right colon have a better five-year survival rate than those with lesions of the left colon.
Curability, based on the judgment of the surgeon, is more reliable than estimates of histologic grades or stages. Survivorship of patients with operable lesions has not improved during the 20-year period under study.
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Liechty, R.D., Ziffren, S.E., Miller, F.E. et al. Adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum. Dis Colon Rectum 11, 201–208 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02617296
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02617296