SURGICAL TREATMENT OF COLORECTAL CANCER IN SLOVENIA

Background. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy and the first most frequent cancer of the gastrointestinal tract occurring in Slovenia. In the Slovene Cancer Registry, there were 1022 new CRC cases and 598 deaths from CRC in 1998. Methods. In 2000 a survey of patients with CRC was conducted in all surgical departments in Slovenia and the data were compared with those obtained in 1995. Results. In year 2000 976 patients with CRC were admitted to all surgical departments in Slovenia: 346 (35.45%) out of 976 received treatment in Ljubljana (UMC 318, OI 28), 233 (23.87%) in two bigger regional hospitals and 397 (40.67%) in other 9 surgical units. In 1995 a total of 803 patients with CRC were treated in all surgical departments in Slovenia. The overall operability rate was 98% and resectability rate 81% and in 2000 97% and 83% respectively. Postoperative mortality rate in patients with resected CRC was 3.3% in 1995 and 4.1% in 2000. Conclusions. In the last decade early results of surgical treatment of CRC patients (operability, resectability and postoperative mortality) are unchanged but late results (5-year survival, quality of life and paliative care) have improved