Cancer of the colon: 32 years of experience in Bombay, India

Abstract

Incidence rate of colon cancer is low in India compared to the Western countries. The dietary habits may be the protective factor in our population. During a 32 year period (1941-1972), 555 cases of colonic cancer were recorded at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Bombay. Among the social groups utilizing this hospital, the Parsis (Zoroastrians) have the highest incidence of colonic cancer. The frequency of cancer of the caecum and sigmoid are almost equal. Cancer of splenic and hepatic flexures are predominantly seen in men. Of the resected cases 50% survived for 5 years and 40% for 10 years. When cancer was localised, the 5 year survival rate was 64%. The 5 year survival rate among transverse colon cancer patients was 70%. The skin was the commonest site of a second cancer among colon cancer patients; the possible etiological association of these two cancers appears very intriguing.