Survival after curative resection for rectal cancer by the end of the 20th century.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to define the survival rates in patients with rectal carcinoma treated with curative resections.


METHODS
Between 1993 and 1998, 54 patients with rectal cancer underwent curative resection by conventional technique. Tumour location, TNM staging and tumour differentiation were evaluated. Among the 54 patients, 14 underwent high anterior resection, 28 low anterior resection, 7 abdominoperineal resection and 5 underwent local excision. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and long-range analysis.


RESULTS
Five-year survival was 70.4%. The survival rate statistically significantly decreased with increasing TNM tumour stage (p=0.009). Patients with poor differentiation of the tumour had the lowest 5-year survival (33%) compared to patients with moderate (72%) and good (78%) tumour differentiation. Sex and age did not affect survival. Location of the tumour in the distal end of the rectum and mucinous characteristics are poor prognostic factors affecting survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Curative resection combined with chemoradiotherapy, whenever necessary, is accompanied with acceptable 5-year survival rates.
Angelopoulos
S
S
4th Surgical Department, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Kanellos
I
I
Sapidis
N
N
Vasiliadis
K
K
Kanellou
A
A
Betsis
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome