Survival after elective surgery for colonic cancer in Denmark

Aim Total mesorectal excision (TME) has been shown to improve the outcome for patients with rectal cancer. In contrast, there are fewer data on complete mesocolic excision (CME) for colonic cancer. Method Data from the National Colorectal Cancer Database were analysed. This includes about 95% of all patients with colorectal cancer in Denmark. Only patients having elective surgery for colonic cancer in the period 2001–2008 were included. Overall and relative survival analyses were carried out. The study period was divided into the periods 2001–2004 and 2005–2008. Results 9149 patients were included for the final analysis. The overall 5‐year survival rates were 0.65 in 2001–2004 and 0.66 in 2005–2008. The relative 5‐year survival rates were also within 1% of each other. None of these comparisons was statistically significant. Conclusion Survival following elective colon cancer surgery has been almost unchanged since 2001.