Abstract

It is known that emergency surgery for colon cancer is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We retrospectively evaluated colon cancer patients admitted with perforation. The total 223 patients who had colon cancer, 74 (33%) underwent emergent colon surgery and 34 (15%) of them had perforation. Median age was 60.65±10.06 years (range:39-79 years) and 12 patients were female (35%). The most common tumor localization was in sigmoid colon (41%). Perforation site was proximal to the tumor in 26 cases (76.5%) and at the tumor site in 8 (23.5%). Peritonitis was present in 28 patients (82%). One of the major complications was anastomotic dehiscence (6 patients, 17.6%). The mortality rate was 29.4% (10 patients) and the morbidity rate was 47.1% (16 patients). The mortality of perforated colon cancer cases is high. Factors associated with mortality are left sided colon tumors (p=0.006), ASA score > 2 (p=0.01), the presence of liver metastasis (p=0.005) and the presence of >25 index according to Mannheim peritonitis index (p=0.002)