title: Survival in colorectal cancer.
abstract: The authors studied the hospital records of 258 patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed between 1965 and 1974 at l'Hôpital du Saint-Sacrement, Quebec and computed expected and relative survival rates to adjust for deaths from other causes. Life-table methods based on full intervals only were used to analyse survival. The patients (138 men and 120 women) ranged in age from 24 to 96 years (mean, 64.9 +/- 12.7 years). The 5-year relative survival rate expressed as a percentage was 48.6 +/- 4.7 for the total group and 64.1 +/- 5.6 for patients in stages A, B and C of Dukes' classification. The overall operative mortality rate of 2.7% compared favourably with that reported elsewhere. Among patients with cancer of the sigmoid colon or rectum (the most readily detectable), the diagnosis was made at stage A in one out of nine and at stage D in approximately one out of four. Despite the introduction of universal medical insurance in Quebec in 1970, there has been no significant trend towards earlier diagnosis.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011792:Quebec; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery