Three hundred and twenty two cases of rectal cancer, operated in our hospital from 1946 to 1960, . were reviewed statistically.
The coexistence of cancer and adenomatous polyps is very common in colon and rectum, and malignant change of polyps is not rare. Polyps are the most important lesions as the etiological factor. Cancer caused from the lesion of shistosomiasis is not frequent at present, and also cancer from the chronic colitis is rare in Japan. Though the most cases of rectal cancer had rather manifest symptoms in early stadium, they were often misdiagnosed and the chance of cure was often missed.
As for the most part of our cases, radical operation with anus preternaturalis has been adopted. but, the recent progress in surgery, the clinico-pathological studies on the spread of rectal cancer and the increase of early stage operative cases are amplifying the indication for radical operation with natural anus. The-rate of curative operation (80%) and 5-year survival rate (57%) of rectal cancer are both high, because-the grade of malignancy is lower in rectal cancer than in gastric cancer. Sex and age of the patients, and character and stage of the cancer brought influence on the results of the treatment. The 5-year survival rate in group with lymphnode metastasis is 43% and without metastasis 78%; in Dukes' A, B, C1, and C2, are respectively 83%, 78%, 48% and 28%. (Author's abstruct)
