Objective:

To analyze the postoperative evolution during the first 30 days of patients treated for colon cancer in the Coloproctology Unit of the Centro Médico Docente La Trinidad.

Methods:

Observational, descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients operated on for colon cancer from January 2009 to December 2021. Cases were identified through the surgical record of the residents of the Programmed Assistance Residence in Coloproctology, the database of the surgical department of the institution and the personal record of the attending colorectal surgeons of the Coloproctology Unit. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were organized according to the CLASSIC and Clavien-Dindo classification, respectively.

Results:

80 patients were operated on, distributed as follows: 37 sigmoidectomies, 23 right colectomies, nine left colectomies, four extended right colectomies, and seven cases of synchronous cancer in which various colonic resections were performed. Surgery was elective in 56 patients (70%) and emergency in 24 (30%). Superficial incisional surgical site infection was the most frequent Clavien-Dindo type II complication (9/80 - 11.3%). Anastomotic dehiscence was the most frequent Clavien-Dindo type III b complication, occurring in eight cases out of 65 patients (12.3%) in whom anastomosis was performed. Three patients (3.75%) died and all of them underwent emergency surgery.

Conclusion:

This study determined the postoperative results in patients who underwent surgery for colon cancer in our unit. The findings are in the range of what has been published nationally and internationally and they are similar to those found in low-volume centers.