Colorectal cancer is the most common internal malignancy in Australia, and the rectum is the most common site. The morbidity, mortality and survival of 561 consecutive patients with rectal cancer who had a resection at Concord Hospital during the 16-year period 1971-86 were evaluated. More than half of the operations performed were low anterior resections (LAR), with total abdominoperineal excisions (APE) of the rectum comprising another third. There was a 5.1% mortality rate in LAR patients and a 3.1% mortality rate in the APE group. Respiratory complications, urinary tract infections and wound infections were the most common causes of morbidity in both LAR and APE. The median survival for patients treated by LAR and APE standardized for clinicopathological staging was 111.5 and 47.1 months (A), 79.0 and 65.5 months (B), 41.3 and 28.5 (C), and 14.7 and 12.4 (D), respectively.