The aim of this study was to assess the progress in the surgical treatment of colorectal carcinoma in a 15 years period at the Catholic University Clinical Hospital. The medical records of 397 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Two hundred eighty four patients (164 male) aged 24 to 90 years old, subjected to elective and curative interventions, were selected for the study and separated in two groups: 132 subjects operated between 1975 and 1984 (group A) and 152 operated between 1985 and 1989 (group B). Group B patients were older (66.7 vs 61.3 years old), had a higher proportion of Dukes A tumors (11 vs 18%) and a lower proportion of lesions localized in the rectum (37 vs 49%). Rectal operations had higher morbidity than colonic interventions (35 vs 17.5%). Operative mortality was 0.7% in group A and 0.6% in group B. Ninety one percent of patients had a mean follow up of 38 months. Five years actuarial survival was 52% in group A and 69% in group B and 58, 74 and 46% for tumors Dukes A, B and C respectively.