This report is a retrospective analysis of the results of surgical treatment in 234 consecutive cases of adenocarcinoma of the colon; 56.4 p. 100 of patients were male with a mean age of 66. Sixty per cent of the carcinoma were situated in the sigmoid. Carcinoma was complicated in 26.1 p. 100 of cases. The tumor was confined to the bowel wall in 14.3 p. 100 of cases (stage A), involved the serosa in 36.3 p. 100 of cases (stage B), lymph nodes in 25.5 p. 100 of cases (stage C), and distal organs in 23.8 p. 100 of cases (stage D). Global operative mortality was 10 p. 100. Obvious anastomotic leakages occurred in two patients with one death. The overall five year survival rate was 35 p. 100. The stage-by-stage 5-year survival rates depended mainly on the differentiation and on the extension of the tumor: 59.2 p. 100 in patients with stage A lesions, 54.8 p. 100 in those with stage B lesions, 30.2 p. 100 in those with stage C lesions, 3.9 p. 100 in those with stage D lesions. On the other hand, survival was not significantly related to the duration of symptoms. This suggests that early diagnosis of symptomatic disease does not guarantee a better prognosis. This can only be achieved by prevention of the disease.