[Pelvic exenteration--indications, radical nature and follow-up demonstrated with 33 clinical cases]

From March 1983 to March 1997, 24 posterior pelvic exenterations and 9 total pelvic exenterations were performed in 18 patients with recurrent cancer and 15 patients with primary cancer. In 85%, we saw major complications, 78% in primary operations and significantly higher--96%--in recurrent cancer operations. R0 resections we figured out in 67% of primary operations and 40% of recurrent operations. We saw recurrent cancer in 45% of the patients with a mean follow-up of 18.2 months.