Improved survival of patients with rectal cancer since 1980: a population-based study

Improvement in colorectal cancer survival: A population-based study

The aim of this study was to explore the reasons for improvement in colorectal cancer survival. Trends in relative survival among 5874 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer over a 24-year period in a well-defined French population were analysed. The 5-year relative survival rate, excluding operative mortality, increased from 49.2% to 56.3% between the periods 1976-1987 and 1988-1999. In multivariate analysis, stage at diagnosis and adjuvant chemotherapy were both associated with better survival after surgery with curative intent. Survival trends differed markedly by age. The improvement in overall survival for older patients can be attributed to the increase in the proportion of patients resected for cure. For younger patients, there was an increase in the proportion of patients operated for cure, but also an improvement in stage-specific survival, particularly for stage III tumours, suggesting an impact of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Co-morbidity leads to altered treatment and worse survival of elderly patients with colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of co-morbidity on the treatment and prognosis of elderly patients with colorectal cancer.

METHODS

The independent influence of age and co-morbidity on treatment and survival was analysed for 6931 patients with colorectal cancer aged 50 years or more diagnosed between 1995 and 2001 in the southern part of the Netherlands.

RESULTS

Co-morbidity had no influence on resection rate. The use of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage III colonic cancer was influenced by co-morbidity, especially a previous malignancy (odds ratio (OR) 0.2 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 0.1 to 0.6); P = 0.002) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR 0.3 (95 per cent c.i. 0.1 to 0.9); P = 0.043). Co-morbidity also influenced use of adjuvant radiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer, especially the presence of hypertension in combination with diabetes (OR 0.5 (95 per cent c.i. 0.2 to 0.9); P = 0.031). Co-morbidity influenced survival (hazard ratio up to 1.6), when adjusted for age, sex, tumour stage and treatment. The greatest influence on survival of patients with colonic cancer was previous malignancy, cardiovascular disease and COPD, and that of patients with rectal cancer was COPD, hypertension, and hypertension in combination with diabetes.

CONCLUSION

Elderly patients with co-morbidity were treated less aggressively and had a worse survival than those with no concomitant disease.

Survival for rectal cancer patients and international comparisons

BACKGROUND

Population-based cancer registry data are important because they reflect routine care, present long-term follow-up, can show differences in treatment, outcomes and health care over time, and can be used for comparisons between regions and countries.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Details of all cancer patients in the Munich region are recorded by the Munich Cancer Registry. Rectal cancer patients with an invasive primary tumor diagnosed between 1996 and 1998 were included in this analysis (n=936). Observed and relative survival are presented. Observed survival was also investigated with a Cox proportional hazards regression model.

RESULTS

Median follow-up time of survivors was 5.7 years. Five-year relative survival for the whole sample was 62.2%. International Union Against Cancer (UICC) stage was the most important prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. Compared with the 1992-1999 Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data (62.4%), relative survival for each disease stage and the whole sample were very similar. In comparison with other European registries, Munich patients had slightly higher survival rates per stage (for example, 5-year relative survival in UICC III was 58.3% in Munich, 54.6% in South East Netherlands, 33.3% in Modena and 47.4% in Cote d'Or); however, more patients in Munich were in higher disease stages with worse prognoses, indicating poorer early detection.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that treatment of rectal cancer in Munich is good, but early detection could be improved. Cancer registries should publish their population-based stage data to ensure quality of care and provide regular feedback to health-care workers and decision makers. Comparisons between countries without stage data should be conducted cautiously.

Predictive factors of survival in patients with advanced colorectal cancer: an individual data analysis of 602 patients included in irinotecan phase III trials

BACKGROUND

The infusional LV5FU2 and Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internische Onkologie (AIO) regimens are used widely in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Irinotecan combined with these regimens increases survival in front-line treatment. Irinotecan also improves survival in second-line treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Univariate and multivariate analyses based on the individual data of 602 patients included in two phase III trials were performed to determine predictive factors of survival in advanced colorectal cancer.

RESULTS

Three factors were independently associated with a better progression-free survival: weight loss <5% [hazard ratio (HR) 1.25; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00-1.58], World Health Organization performance status (WHO PS) 0-1 (HR 1.29; 95% CI 1.08-1.54) and irinotecan (CPT-11)-containing regimens (HR 1.48; 95% CI 1.03-2.13). Five factors were independently associated with a better overall survival: weight loss <5% (HR 1.67; 95% CI 1.29-2.14), WHO PS 0-1 (HR 1.88; 95% CI 1.27-2.75), one or two metastatic sites (HR 1.24; 95% CI 1.01-1.53), alkaline phosphatase values not over twice the normal range (HR 1.71; 95% CI 1.30-2.24) and CPT-11-containing regimens (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.07-1.61).

CONCLUSIONS

The present analysis confirms that CPT-11-based chemotherapy regimens are independently associated with a better survival in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Age was not identified as a prognostic factor in this analysis.

Anaemia prior to operation is related with poorer long-term survival in patients with operable rectal cancer

PURPOSE

Local hypoxia has been linked to a higher risk of metastasis in patients with cancer of the uterine cervix and a haemoglobin concentration of 7.45 mmol/l or less. It is unknown whether the same holds true for rectal cancer. We evaluated the independent impact of pre-operative anaemia on survival in patients with rectal cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A random set of 144 patients diagnosed with Dukes' A, B or C rectal cancer in the period 1995-1999 and registered in the database of the Eindhoven Cancer Registry was included in a survival analysis. Parameters tested were gender, age, pre-operative haemoglobin concentration, tumour stage and therapy. The ones that showed a relation with survival (log-rank test, p<0.1) were entered in a multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

For patients without pre-operative anaemia, the hazard ratio of death was 0.35 (95% confidence interval 0.19-0.65, p=0.001), which indicates a three times higher mortality risk. For patients with a higher tumour stage (Dukes' B vs. Dukes' A or Dukes' C vs. Dukes' B) the hazard ratio of death was 1.52 (95% CI 1.04-2.23, p=0.03). For older patients (64-73 years vs. <64 years or >73 years vs. 64-73 years) the hazard ratio of death was 1.85 (95% CI 1.29-2.63, p=0.001).

CONCLUSION

Long-term survival was significantly affected in rectal cancer patients with pre-operative anaemia. Further study on the relation between anaemia, tumour oxygenation and prognosis is needed, as it may have implications for future therapy.