title: Evaluation of clinical, laboratory and morphologic prognostic factors in colon cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The long-term prognosis of patients with colon cancer is dependent on many factors. To investigate the influence of a series of clinical, laboratory and morphological variables on prognosis of colon carcinoma we conducted a retrospective analysis of our data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-two patients with colon cancer, who underwent surgical resection between January 1999 and December 2001, were analyzed. On survival analysis, demographics, clinical, laboratory and pathomorphological parameters were tested for their potential prognostic value. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate analysis of the above mentioned data were performed considering the depth of tumour invasion into the bowel wall as independent variable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On survival analysis we found that depth of tumour invasion (P < 0.001; F-ratio 2.11), type of operation (P < 0.001; F-ratio 3.51) and CT scanning (P < 0.001; F-ratio 5.21) were predictors of survival. Considering the degree of mural invasion as independent variable, on univariate analysis, we observed that mucorrhea, anismus, hematocrit, WBC count, fibrinogen value and CT scanning were significantly related to the degree of mural invasion of the cancer. On the multivariate analysis, fibrinogen value was the most statistically significant variable (P < 0.001) with the highest F-ratio (F-ratio 5.86). Finally, in the present study, the tumour site was significantly related neither to the survival nor to the mural invasion of the tumour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The various clinical, laboratory and patho-morphological parameters showed different prognostic value for colon carcinoma. In the future, preoperative prognostic markers will probably gain relevance in order to make a proper choice between surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Nevertheless, current data do not provide sufficient evidence for preoperative stratification of high and low risk patients. Further assessments in prospective large studies are warranted.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Tor Vergata, department of surgery, University hospital Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford, 81 00133 Rome, Italy. grande@med.uniroma2.it
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grande
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Milito
authors.forename: Grazia Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Attinà
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cadeddu
authors.forename: Marco Gallinella
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Muzi
authors.forename: Casimiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nigro
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rulli
authors.forename: Attilio Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Farinon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
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