PROGNOSTIC FACTORS FOR LEFT COLECTOMY FOR COLON CANCER: A TEN YEARS EXPERIENCE OF A SINGLE UNIVERSITY INSTITUTION

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world. In Brazil, it is the leading cause of cancer in the gastrointestinal tract. AIM: To evaluate the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative risk factors for recurrence and overall survival of patients with left colon cancer operated during a ten-year period. METHODS: Patients with left colon cancer surgically treated underwent clinical preoperative workout and cancer staging. The following factors were studied: gender, age, tumor location, T stage, lymph node yield, N stage, M stage, histological type, and tumor differentiation. It was analyzed the influence in five-year overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 173 patients underwent left colectomy for colon cancer. There was a slight predominance of male gender with 50.9%. The mean age was 60.8 years old. Fifteen (8.7%) tumors were located at splenic flexure, 126 (72.8%) at sigmoid colon, and 32 (18.5%) at descending colon. The median length of hospital stay was seven days. Mean survival was 47.5 months. At 60 months seven patients (4%) lost follow-up, 38 patients (21.9%) deceased and 135 patients (78%) were alive. Overall survival time was 48 months. CONCLUSION: Advanced stages (T3-T4, N+ and M+) were the only factors associated with poor long term survival in left colon cancer.