Abstract: OBJECTIVE To investigate the preventive effect and efficacy of cefoxitin on incision infection in patients with radical resection of rectal cancer and the effect of interleukin group. METHODS A total of 207 cases of patients with primary rectal cancer from Mar. 2011 to Sep. 2016 in our hospital were selected and randomly divided into study group of 104 cases and control group of 103 cases. The control group was given routine therapy and routine nursing care after operation, and the study group was treated with cefoxitin therapy based on the control group. The length of hospital stay and days of antibiotic application between the two groups were compared. The body temperature, plasma leukocyte count, C-reactive protein, levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and INF-γ were compared before surgery and on the fourth, seventh, and tenth day after operation. RESULTS The hospitalization days and antibiotic use days in the study group were (7.58±0.88) d and (3.74±0.48) d, which were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05), and levels of body temperature, plasma leukocyte count, CRP, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and INF-γ on the fourth, seventh, and tenth day after operation between the study group and the control group had significant differences (P＜0.05). Levels of body temperature, plasma leukocyte count, CRP, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and INF-γ on the tenth day after operation of the study group were (36.73±0.40)℃, (9.76±1.07)×10⁹/L, (3.48±0.49)mg/L, (3.19±0.39), (4.38±0.56), (10.09±1.12), (8.21±0.91), (81.29±10.21), and (12.53±1.46)μg/L, which were significantly lower than those of the control group(P<0.05). There were 21 cases of complications in the study group, which were significantly less than 56 cases in the control group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION Cefoxitin can play a role in preventing incision infection in patients with rectal cancer, and can reduce inflammatory factors,, and reduce the postoperative complications, and the effect is better.