AIM: To investigate the prognostic factors of 96 young patients with colon cancer within a cancer center by univariate and multivariate analysis.METHODS: A total of 723 patients with colon cancer were treated surgically during a period of 10 years.Ninty six of them were 40 years old or younger.R0, R1 and R2 operations were performed in 69(71.9%), 4 (4.1%) and 23 patients (24%), respectively. Left hemicolectomy was performed in 43patients, right hemicolectomy in 37 patients, transverse colon resection in 9 patients and low anterior resection in 7 patients. Cox multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of survival.RESULTS: The operation mortality was 0%, 54patients died within 111 mo after operation due to occurrence or metastases of the tumor. Liver, lung and bone metastases occurred in 3, 1 and 5 patients, respectively. The mean survival time for all patients was 77.9 ± 5.01 mo and the overall 3-, 5-and 10- year survival rates were 66.68%, 58.14%and 46.54%, respectively. In the univariate survival analysis, patient age, type of operation, radical resection, blood transfusion, histological type, diameter of tumor, depth of tumor invasion, lymphatic invasion, distant metastases, liver metastases and TNM stage were found to be predictors of survival in young patients with colon cancer. In the Cox-regression analysis, blood transfusion and lymphatic invasion were determined as independent prognostic factors of survival.CONCLUSIONS: Age, type of operation, radical resection, blood transfusion, histological type, diameter of tumor, depth of tumor invasion, lymphatic invasion, distant metastasis and TNM stage are the predictors of survival in young patients with colon cancer after surgery.