Colon and rectal cancers, primarily adenocarcinomas (approximately 95% of cases), rarely lymphomas or squamous cell carcinomas, can occur in the distal colon with clinical symptoms of constipation and intestinal obstruction, in the proximal colon with prevalent anemia, and in the rectum with proctorrhagia, tenesmus, and false diarrhea.
Treatment depends on the stage at diagnosis.In early stages, surgery may be the only treatment; in advanced stages, surgery may be combined with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.In advanced-stage cancer with distant metastases, surgical treatment may be exclusively palliative, aiming to improve the patient’s quality of life. Surgical removal can be performed via laparotomy or laparoscopy.Chemotherapy may be used preoperatively to attempt to reduce tumor mass or as adjuvant therapy.Radiotherapy has proven useful in combination with chemotherapy, especially for rectal cancers.
The following indicators have been defined: 1) Mortality within 30 days of surgery for isolated colon cancer, where the outcome is death within 30 days of the surgery date and exposure is determined by the hospitalization facility; 2) Mortality within 30 days of surgery for isolated rectal cancer, where the outcome is death within 30 days of the surgery date and exposure is determined by the hospitalization facility.
The mortality indicators allow us to assess the surgical risk of patients diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer undergoing resection surgery in terms of 30-day mortality, measured as mortality during surgery, during the postoperative hospital stay, or within 30 days of surgery. Additionally, the “Length of postoperative hospital stay after laparoscopic colon cancer surgery” is calculated. The outcome measured is the average length of postoperative hospital stay in days, as a proxy for the postoperative outcome of laparoscopic surgery.
The values of the indicators may differ between regions and facilities due to varying quality of care, but may also be attributable to the heterogeneous distribution of various risk factors, such as age, gender, and patient comorbidities.
Your doctor will address your concerns and guide you in making an informed decision about the treatment plan to follow.Contact him or her for all the information you need for your health needs.