A total of 198 patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer in our department between 1966 and 1985, and 187 of those with single cancer were investigated mainly for the rate of resection and the late results. The rate of resection for cancer of the colon was higher than that for ano-rectal cancer, but there was no difference in the rate of curative resection between them. The incidence of lymph node metastasis was about 40% in both groups treated by curative resection, but the incidence was high, more than 90%, in the group treated by non-curative resection. Five-year survival rate in patients with cancer of the colon treated by curative resection and in those treated by non-curative resection were 68% and 11%, respectively. Five-year survival rate for patient with ano-rectal cancer treated by curative resection and by non-curative resection were poor, namely 53% and 9%, respectively. There were significant differences in histological stage between stage I and stage III of ano-rectal cancer and between stage I and stage IV of these patients, suggesting favorable prognosis for stage I.
