Outcome of Emergency Colorectal Cancer Surgery – a Comparison Between Right and Left Sided Tumours

Aim: The objective of the study was to compare operative results of patients who had emergency surgery for right and left sided colorectal cancers.

Methods: Patients who had emergency surgery for colorectal cancer for either obstruction or perforation from January 1981 to December 1995 were included. They were divided into two groups; right-sided tumours comprised of lesions at or proximal to the splenic flexure and left sided tumours distal to it.

Data of colorectal cancer patients was prospectively collected and registered in our department. The data included age, sex, site of the tumour, nature of surgery, stage of the tumour, mortality within 30 days of surgery, long-term survival, cause and place of death. Patients were followed up until death or for more than 5 years after the operation. Statistical differences between the two groups were calculated using Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test.

Results:

Characteristics	Right side	Left side		P value
Total	68 (44.7%)	84 (55.3%)
Duke's A	1 (1.47%)	2 (2.38%)		1
Duke's B	31 (45.5%)	40 (47.61%)		0.93
Duke's C	17 (25%)	20 (23.80%)		1.0
Duke's D	11 (16.17%)	13 (15.47%)		1.0
Unknown stage	8 (11.76%)	9 (10.71%)		1.0
Post-operative mortality	7 (10.29%)	10 (11.90%)		0.96
3 Year Survival	23 (41.17%)	26 (30.95%)		0.84
5-Year Survival	14 (20.58%)	20 (23.80%)		0.78
Tumour related death	38 (25%)	45 (29.60%)		0.90
5-Year Tumour specific Survival	36.84%		44.44%	0.46

Overall P value=0. 99

Conclusion: Apart from 5-year tumour specific survival, there were no significant difference between the two groups.