Objective To evaluate the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI)in patients with colorectal cancer and identify the risk factors of SSI.Methods A total of 392 patients who underwent colorectal cancer resection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between September 2012 and September 2013 were included and analyzed in terms of the presence of SSI.SSI risk factors were identified by both univariate and multivariate analysis.Results The overall incidence of SSI was 23.0%.Univariate analysis showed that duration of operation above 75 th percentile,colostomy,surgical procedure, type of surgical incision,and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)score were significantly associated with higher risk of SSI (P <0.05).Binary logistic regression suggested that duration of operation above 75 th percentile (P = 0.000,OR =3.017),colostomy (P =0.008,OR=2.642),Contaminated incision (P =0.016,OR=3.311)and laparoscopic surgery (P =0.016,OR=0.523)were significantly different in terms of presence or absence of SSI.Conclusions Duration of operation above 75th percentile,colostomy and contaminated incision are independent risk factors,while laparoscopic surgery is a protective factor for SSI in patients with colorectal cancer.