[Factors influencing recurrence and metastasis after curative resection for rectal carcinoma]

This paper analyzes 737 cases of curative resection for rectal carcinoma treated from January 1958 to December 1987. Males 407 and females 330. The ages ranged from 17-84. The follow up period was 1 to 30 years. 217 patients developed recurrence or metastasis and the disease-free survival was 3 months to 15.5 years with a median of 24.2 months. Most of the recurrence occurred in 2 years and was found in the pelvis after abdominoperineal resection and the site of anastomosis after anterior resection. The chief metastatic sites were: lung, liver and inguinal nodes in order of frequency. Factors influencing recurrence and metastasis were: site of cancer, Dukes stage, pathologic type, differentiation of cancer, node involvement, and method of operation. Adjuvant irradiation could reduce local recurrence. Patients prone to developing recurrence should be closely followed and the resectable lesions be resected whenever possible.