[The role of blood transfusion on the postoperative morbidity of tumors of the colon and rectum].

UNLABELLED: Previous studies have demonstrated that perioperative blood transfusions in patients with colo-rectal cancer may be related to a poor p.o. prognosis. Blood transfusions have been reported to exert an immunosuppressive action thus representing a risk factor of p.o. septic complication.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: 100 patients were investigated retrospectively (60 M. and 40 F., mean age 61.7 yrs, range 18-86). Location of the tumour was rectum in 49 cases, sigmoid in 33, descending colon in 9 and ascending colon in 9. Dukes' staging of the tumour was A in 16 cases, B in 34, C in 30, D in 20. 61% of the patients received blood transfusions, before the operation in 10, during the operation in 13, after the operation in 16. 22 patients received blood transfusions before, during and after the operation. P.o. septic complications were then correlated to number and timing of blood transfusions, sex and age of the patients, location of neoplasm, Dukes' staging, surgical technique, severe anemia and malnutrition.

RESULTS

P.o. septic complications were observed in 25 patients, without significative correlation with patients sex and age, site and staging of the tumour, surgical technique, preoperative anemia and/or malnutrition. A statistically significative increase in the incidence of septic complications was observed only in transfused patients compared to non transfused (34% vs. 10.3% - X2 = 5.62, p less than 0.01). This was noted regardless the presence of advanced disease, location of the tumour, surgical technique employed. The increased incidence of septic p.o. complications was observed even comparing transfused to non-transfused grouped accordingly to the different factors considered in the study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)