Results of treatment of colorectal cancer at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital from 1960 to 1965

During the five year period from 1960 to 1965, 222 patients were admitted to the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital for definitive treatment of cancer of the colon and rectum. 93.7 per cent (206 of 222) underwent surgery; of these patients 70.9 per cent (146 of 206) had operations in hope of cure. The five year survival for “all comers” was 39.2 per cent and for those with operations for cure, 63.5 per cent. The presence or absence of regional lymph node metastases is still an important determinant of survival in those patients treated by curative resection.