Multimorbidity by Patient and Tumor Factors and Time-to-Surgery Among Colorectal Cancer Patients in Spain: A Population-Based Study

Developing a framework for estimating comorbidity burden of inpatient cancer patients based on a case study in China

Inpatient cancer patients often carry the dual burden of the cancer itself and comorbidities, which were recognized as one of the most urgent global public health issues to be addressed. Based on a case study conducted in a tertiary hospital in Shandong Province, this study developed a framework for the extraction of hospital information system data, identification of basic comorbidity characteristics, estimation of the comorbidity burden, and examination of the associations between comorbidity patterns and outcome measures. In the case study, demographic data, diagnostic data, medication data and cost data were extracted from the hospital information system under a stringent inclusion and exclusion process, and the diagnostic data were coded by trained coders with the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Comorbidities in this study was assessed using the NCI Comorbidity Index, which identifies multiple comorbidities. Rates, numbers, types and severity of comorbidity for inpatient cancer patients together form the characterization of comorbidities. All prevalent conditions in this cohort were included in the cluster analysis. Patient characteristics of each comorbidity cluster were described. Different comorbidity patterns of inpatient cancer patients were identified, and the associations between comorbidity patterns and outcome measures were examined. This framework can be adopted to guide the patient care, hospital administration and medical resource allocation, and has the potential to be applied in various healthcare settings at local, regional, national, and international levels to foster a healthcare environment that is more responsive to the complexities of cancer and its associated conditions. The application of this framework needs to be optimized to overcome a few limitations in data acquisition, data integration, treatment priorities that vary by stage, and ethics and privacy issues.

Sex differences in the impact of multimorbidity on long-term mortality for patients with colorectal cancer: a population registry-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Women have better survival than men patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), but the extent to which this is due to multimorbidity is unclear.

METHODS

A population-based study of 1843 patients diagnosed with CRC in Australia. Data included patient's demographics, multimorbidity, tumour histology, cancer stage, and treatment. We estimated the risks of all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality due to cancer or non-cancer causes.

RESULTS

Men had lower survival than women (P ≤ 0.010) amongst those diagnosed at Stages I-III (15-year survival: 56.0% vs 68.0%, 48.5% vs 60.7%, 34.8% vs 47.5%, respectively), excepting Stage IV (14.4% vs 12.6%; P = 0.18). Married men exhibit better survival than those who were never married (P = 0.006). Heart attacks (9.9% vs 4.3%, P < 0.001) and emphysema (4.8% vs 2.1%, P = 0.004) were more prevalent in men than women. Comorbid stroke and high cholesterol (adjusted hazard ratio, AHR = 2.22, 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.17-4.21, P = 0.014) and leukaemia (AHR = 6.36, 95% CI = 3.08-13.1, P < 0.001) increased the risk of cancer death for men only. For women, diabetes increased the risk of all-cause death (AHR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.02-1.86, P = 0.039) and high blood pressure increased the risk of death due to non-cancer causes (AHR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.36-2.94, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Separate models of CRC care are needed for men and women with consideration of multimorbidity and social factors.

Comorbidity Patterns in Patients Newly Diagnosed With Colorectal Cancer: Network-Based Study

BACKGROUND

Patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) often present with multiple comorbidities, and many of these can affect treatment and survival. However, previous comorbidity studies primarily focused on diseases in commonly used comorbidity indices. The comorbid status of CRC patients with respect to the entire spectrum of chronic diseases has not yet been investigated.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to systematically analyze all chronic diagnoses and diseases co-occurring, using a network-based approach and large-scale administrative health data, and provide a complete picture of the comorbidity pattern in patients newly diagnosed with CRC from southwest China.

METHODS

In this retrospective observational study, the hospital discharge records of 678 hospitals from 2015 to 2020 in Sichuan Province, China were used to identify new CRC cases in 2020 and their history of diseases. We examined all chronic diagnoses using ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision) codes at 3 digits and focused on chronic diseases with >1% prevalence in at least one subgroup (1-sided test, P<.025), which resulted in a total of 66 chronic diseases. Phenotypic comorbidity networks were constructed across all CRC patients and different subgroups by sex, age (18-59, 60-69, 70-79, and ≥80 years), area (urban and rural), and cancer site (colon and rectum), with comorbidity as a node and linkages representing significant correlations between multiple comorbidities.

RESULTS

A total of 29,610 new CRC cases occurred in Sichuan, China in 2020. The mean patient age at diagnosis was 65.6 (SD 12.9) years, and 75.5% (22,369/29,610) had at least one comorbidity. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension (8581/29,610, 29.0%; 95% CI 28.5%-29.5%), hyperplasia of the prostate (3816/17,426, 21.9%; 95% CI 21.3%-22.5%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; 4199/29,610, 14.2%; 95% CI 13.8%-14.6%). The prevalence of single comorbidities was different in each subgroup in most cases. Comorbidities were closely associated, with disorders of lipoprotein metabolism and hyperplasia of the prostate mediating correlations between other comorbidities. Males and females shared 58.3% (141/242) of disease pairs, whereas male-female disparities occurred primarily in diseases coexisting with COPD, cerebrovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, heart failure, or renal failure among males and with osteoporosis or gonarthrosis among females. Urban patients generally had more comorbidities with higher prevalence and more complex disease coexistence relationships, whereas rural patients were more likely to have co-existing severe diseases, such as heart failure comorbid with the sequelae of cerebrovascular disease or COPD.

CONCLUSIONS

Male-female and urban-rural disparities in the prevalence of single comorbidities and their complex coexistence relationships in new CRC cases were not due to simple coincidence. The results reflect clinical practice in CRC patients and emphasize the importance of measuring comorbidity patterns in terms of individual and coexisting diseases in order to better understand comorbidity patterns.

Effect of comorbidity assessed by the Charlson Comorbidity Index on the length of stay, costs, and mortality among colorectal cancer patients undergoing colorectal surgery

OBJECTIVE

Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is a good predictor for hospitalization cost and mortality among patients with chronic disease. However, the impact of CCI on patients after colorectal cancer surgery is unclear. This study aims to investigate the influence of comorbidity assessed by CCI on length of stay, hospitalization costs, and in-hospital mortality in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) who underwent surgical resection.

METHODS

This historical cohort study collected 10,271 adult inpatients for CRC undergoing resection surgery in 33 tertiary hospitals between January 2018 and December 2019. All patients were categorized by the CCI score into four classes: 0, 1,2, and ≥3. Linear regression was used for outcome indicators as continuous variables and logical regression for categorical variables. EmpowerStats software and R were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Of all 10,271 CRC patients, 51.72% had at least one comorbidity. Prevalence of metastatic solid tumor (19.68%, except colorectal cancer) and diabetes without complication (15.01%) were the major comorbidities. The highest average cost of hospitalization (86,761.88 CNY), length of stay (18.13 days), and in-hospital mortality (0.89%) were observed in patients with CCI score ≥3 compared to lower CCI scores (p < .001). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the CCI score was associated with hospitalization costs (β, 7340.46 [95% confidence interval (CI) (5710.06-8970.86)], p < .001), length of stay (β, 1.91[95%CI (1.52-2.30)], p < .001), and in-hospital mortality(odds ratio (OR),16.83[95%CI (2.23-126.88)], p = .0062) after adjusted basic clinical characteristics, especially when CCI score ≥3. Notably, the most specific complication associated with hospitalization costs and length of stay was metastatic solid tumor, while the most notable mortality-specific comorbidity was moderate or severe renal disease.

CONCLUSION

The research work has discovered a strong link between CCI and clinical plus economic outcomes in patients with CRC who underwent surgical resection.

Bayesian variable selection and survival modeling: assessing the Most important comorbidities that impact lung and colorectal cancer survival in Spain

Cancer survival represents one of the main indicators of interest in cancer epidemiology. However, the survival of cancer patients can be affected by several factors, such as comorbidities, that may interact with the cancer biology. Moreover, it is interesting to understand how different cancer sites and tumour stages are affected by different comorbidities. Identifying the comorbidities that affect cancer survival is thus of interest as it can be used to identify factors driving the survival of cancer patients. This information can also be used to identify vulnerable groups of patients with comorbidities that may lead to worst prognosis of cancer. We address these questions and propose a principled selection and evaluation of the effect of comorbidities on the overall survival of cancer patients. In the first step, we apply a Bayesian variable selection method that can be used to identify the comorbidities that predict overall survival. In the second step, we build a general Bayesian survival model that accounts for time-varying effects. In the third step, we derive several posterior predictive measures to quantify the effect of individual comorbidities on the population overall survival. We present applications to data on lung and colorectal cancers from two Spanish population-based cancer registries. The proposed methodology is implemented with a combination of the R-packages mombf and rstan. We provide the code for reproducibility at https://github.com/migariane/BayesVarImpComorbiCancer .

Impact of comorbidities on physical function and survival of middle-aged, as compared to older, individuals with cancer

PURPOSE

To investigate if comorbidity predicts mortality and functional impairment in middle-aged individuals with cancer (50-64 years) as compared to older individuals.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study. Outcomes were mortality and functional impairment at 5 years follow-up. Comorbidity was assessed using adjusted Charlson comorbidity index and polypharmacy (≥ 5 drugs) as surrogate for comorbidity. Multivariate Cox-proportional hazards and binary logit models were used to assess the risk of 5-year mortality and functional impairment respectively.

RESULTS

We included 477 middle-aged (50-64 years) and 563 older (65 + years) individuals with cancer. The prevalence of comorbidity (at least one disease in addition to cancer) was 29% for middle-aged and 45% for older individuals, with polypharmacy observed in 15% and 31% respectively. Presence of ≥ 3 comorbidities was associated with nearly three times as high a risk of mortality in middle-aged individuals (HR 2.97, 95% CI: 1.43-6.16). In older individuals, the HR was 1.7 (95% CI 1.1-2.8). Polypharmacy was associated with a higher risk of mortality in middle-aged (HR 2.35, 95% CI 1.32-4.16) but not in older individuals (HR 1.2, 95% CI 0.9-1.8). Polypharmacy was associated with the four time the risk of functional impairment in middle-aged (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.59-10.06) and older individuals (OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.6-11.7).

CONCLUSION

This study of middle-aged and older adults with cancer shows that comorbid disease is common in younger and older individuals with cancer and are associated with inferior outcomes. Assessment and management of comorbidity should be a priority for cancer care across all age groups.

Physical Comorbidities and Depression in Recent and Long-Term Adult Cancer Survivors: NHANES 2007-2018

Simple Summary

Most cancer patients suffer one or more physical comorbidities (other somatic diseases present at the moment of cancer diagnosis). Previous research has shown that these comorbidities can interfere with cancer treatment and shorten the patient’s survival time. We propose that comorbidities could also interfere with the mental health of cancer patients and increase the risk of suffering depression in the years following the cancer diagnosis. We tested this possibility in a study of 2073 adult cancer survivors. We found that the number of physical comorbidities present at the moment of cancer diagnosis was related to higher risk of reporting depression in cancer survivors who were diagnosed up to 5 years before the study. This relationship was strongest among survivors of breast cancer. Information about comorbidities is usually readily available and could be useful in streamlining depression screening or targeting prevention efforts in cancer patients and survivors.

Abstract

Many adult cancer patients present one or more physical comorbidities. Besides interfering with treatment and prognosis, physical comorbidities could also increase the already heightened psychological risk of cancer patients. To test this possibility, we investigated the relationship between physical comorbidities with depression symptoms in a sample of 2073 adult cancer survivors drawn from the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2007–2018) in the U.S. Based on information regarding 16 chronic conditions, the number of comorbidities diagnosed before and after the cancer diagnosis was calculated. The number of comorbidities present at the moment of cancer diagnosis was significantly related to depression risk in recent but not in long-term survivors. Recent survivors who suffered multimorbidity had 3.48 (95% CI 1.26–9.55) times the odds of reporting significant depressive symptoms up to 5 years after the cancer diagnosis. The effect of comorbidities was strongest among survivors of breast cancer. The comorbidities with strongest influence on depression risk were stroke, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity, asthma, and arthritis. Information about comorbidities is usually readily available and could be useful in streamlining depression screening or targeting prevention efforts in cancer patients and survivors. A multidimensional model of the interaction between cancer and other physical comorbidities on mental health is proposed.

Glycemic Control for Colorectal Cancer Survivors Compared to Those without Cancer in the Dutch Primary Care for Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study

Simple Summary

A growing number of colorectal cancer survivors live with type 2 diabetes, as a result of improved cancer diagnosis and treatment. These patients might have worse glycemic control after their cancer diagnosis, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This prospective cohort study evaluated the quality of glycemic control for colorectal cancer survivors, as compared to those without cancer in Dutch primary care for diabetes. During a 10-year follow-up for 57,330 patients, there were 705 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. No clinically relevant difference on the probability of reaching the target HbA1c was observed between colorectal cancer survivors and patients with no history of cancer. These results showed a robust diabetes care system, implying that the glycemic control for colorectal cancer survivors can be delegated to the primary care professionals.

Abstract

Cancer survivors with diabetes tend to have worse glycemic control after their cancer diagnosis, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to investigate whether glycemic control differs between colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors and those without cancer, among patients with type 2 diabetes being treated in the Dutch primary care. The Zwolle Outpatient Diabetes project Integrating Available Care database was linked with the Dutch Cancer Registry (n = 71,648, 1998–2014). The cases were those with stage 0–III CRC, and the controls were those without cancer history. The primary and secondary outcomes were the probability of reaching the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) target and the mean of HbA1c during follow-up, respectively. Mixed linear modeling was applied, where the status of CRC was a time-varying variable. Among the 57,330 patients included, 705 developed CRC during follow-up. The mean probability of reaching the HbA1c target during follow-up was 73% versus 74% (p = 0.157) for CRC survivors versus those without cancer, respectively. The mean HbA1c was 51.1 versus 50.8 mmol/mol (p = 0.045) among CRC survivors versus those without cancer, respectively. We observed a clinically comparable glycemic control among the CRC survivors without cancer, indicating that glycemic control for CRC survivors can be delegated to primary care professionals.

Changes in health-related outcomes among colorectal cancer patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation therapy: a systematic review of observational and interventional studies

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) and its treatment can lead to several physical and psychosocial impairments. Cancer rehabilitation aims to reduce morbidity and improve quality of life. The objective of this review was to summarize and evaluate evidence on changes in health-related outcomes among CRC patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation therapy and on the effectiveness of such treatment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature search including the electronic databases Pubmed and Web of Science to find observational and interventional studies, which investigated changes in health-related outcomes among CRC patients undergoing multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation programs or treatment effects. Study findings were synthesized narratively.

RESULTS

Eleven studies were eligible and included in this review. Eight patient cohort studies addressed outcomes such as physical and functional status, fecal incontinence, anxiety and depression, and quality of life. Positive changes during rehabilitation therapy were observed for physical health (functional and physical status, fecal incontinence), and several dimensions of quality of life. Study findings concerning anxiety and depression were not conclusive. Studies that additionally conducted long-term follow-ups indicated that the improved health status after rehabilitative treatment waned over time. One RCT reported no effect of inpatient rehabilitation on distress and two randomized trials reported effects of exercise intensity on oxidative stress and immune response. Sample sizes were low (<100 included CRC patients) in eight studies and only the RCT included a comparison group (non-rehabilitants).

CONCLUSION

The scientific evidence level was very limited. Due to the lack of a comparison group in most studies, we were only able to evaluate changes during/after inpatient rehabilitation therapy but not the effectiveness of treatment. However, study findings suggest that physical health and functional independence improve during inpatient rehabilitation, but improvements wane over time. Further large representative studies, in particular RCTs with long-term follow-up, are essential to evaluate the effectiveness of inpatient rehabilitation and identify determinants of treatment success.

The prevalence of chronic conditions in patients diagnosed with one of 29 common and rarer cancers: A cross-sectional study using primary care data

BACKGROUND

Pre-existing chronic conditions (morbidities) influence the diagnosis and management of cancer. The prevalence of specific morbidities in patients diagnosed with common and rarer cancers is inadequately described.

METHODS

Using data from the English National Cancer Diagnosis Audit 2014, we studied 11 pre-existing morbidities recorded as yes/no items by participating general practitioners based on information included in primary care records. We examined the number and type of morbidities across socio-demographic and cancer site strata, and subsequently estimated observed and age/sex standardised prevalence of each morbidity by cancer.

RESULTS

Over three-quarters (77 %; 11,429/14,774) of non-screen-detected patients had at least one chronic condition before diagnosis, while nearly half (47 %) had two or more. Hypertension (39 %) and physical disability (2%) were the most and least common conditions. Male, older and more socio-economically deprived patients were more likely to have at least one morbidity (p < 0.001 for all between variable group comparisons). For most morbidities, the standardised prevalence was similar across different cancers with a few exceptions, including respiratory disease prevalence being greatest among lung cancer patients and diabetes prevalence being greatest among liver, pancreatic, and endometrial cancer patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Most cancer patients have at least one morbidity, while almost one in two have two or more. The findings highlight the need to take certain morbidity- and cancer-site combinations into account when examining associations between morbidity and cancer outcomes.

Impact of a multidisciplinary medication reconciliation program on clinical outcomes: A pre-post intervention study in surgical patients

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have evaluated the effects of medication reconciliation (MR) and suggest that it is effective in decreasing medication discrepancies. Nevertheless, a recent overview of systematic reviews concluded that there is no clear evidence in favor of MR in patient-related outcomes and healthcare utilization, and further research about it is needed.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary MR program on clinical outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer presenting other chronic diseases, undergoing elective colorectal surgery.

METHODS

We performed a pre-post study. Adult patients scheduled for elective colorectal cancer surgery were included if they presented at least one "high-risk" criteria. The MR program was developed by internists, pharmacists and surgeons, and ended with the obtention of the patient's pre-admission medication list and follow-up care until discharge. The primary outcome was the length of stay (LOS). Secondly, we evaluated mortality, preventable surgery cancellations and risk factors for complications.

RESULTS

Three hundred and eight patients were enrolled. Only one patient in the pre-intervention group suffered a preventable surgery cancellation (p = 0.317). The mean LOS was 13 ± 12 vs. 11 ± 5 days in the pre-intervention and the intervention cohort, respectively (p = 0.435). A difference in favor of the intervention group in patients with cardiovascular disease (p = 0.038) and those >75 years old (p = 0.043) was observed. No difference was detected in the mortality rate (p = 0.999) neither most of the indicators of risk factors for complications. However, the management of preoperative systolic blood pressure of hypertensive patients (p = 0.004) and insulin reconciliation in patients with treated diabetes (p = 0.003) were statistically better in the intervention group.

CONCLUSIONS

No statistically significant change was observed in the mean global LOS. A statistically significant positive effect on LOS was observed in vulnerable populations: patients >75 years old and those with cardiovascular disease, who presented a 5-day reduction in the mean LOS.

Deprivation gap in colorectal cancer survival attributable to stage at diagnosis: A population-based study in Spain

OBJECTIVE

Socioeconomic inequalities in colorectal cancer (CRC) survival are a major concern of the Spanish public health system. If these inequalities were mainly due to differences in stage at diagnosis, population-based screening programs might reduce them substantially. We aimed to determine to what extent adverse stage distribution contributed to survival inequalities in a Spanish region before the implementation of a CRC screening program.

METHODS

We analyzed data from a population-based cohort study that included all patients living in a region of southern Spain with CRC diagnosed between 2004 and 2013. The European Deprivation Index was used to assign each patient a socioeconomic level based on their area of residence. The role of tumor stage in survival disparities between socioeconomic groups was assessed using a causal mediation analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 2802 men and 1957 women were included in the study. For men, the adjusted difference in deaths between the most deprived and the most affluent areas was 131 deaths per 1000 person-years by the first year after diagnosis. Of these deaths, 42 (per 1000 person-years) were attributable to differences in stage at diagnosis. No socioeconomic disparities in survival were detected among female patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, we mainly detected socioeconomic disparities in short term survival of male patients. More than two thirds of these inequalities could not be attributed to differences in stage at diagnosis. Our results suggest that in addition to a screening program, other public health interventions are necessary to reduce the deprivation gap in survival.

The Impact of Comorbid Diabetes on Short-Term Postoperative Outcomes in Stage I/II Colon Cancer Patients Undergoing Open Colectomy

Purpose

This study aimed at evaluating the impact of comorbid diabetes on short-term postoperative outcomes in patients with stage I/II colon cancer after open colectomy.

Methods

The data were extracted from the National Inpatient Sample database (2005-2010). Short-term surgical outcomes included in-hospital mortality, postoperative complications, and hospital length of stay.

Results

A total of 49,064 stage I/II colon cancer patients undergoing open surgery were included, with a mean age of 70.35 years. Of them, 21.94% had comorbid diabetes. Multivariable analyses revealed that comorbid diabetes was significantly associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality and postoperative complications. Compared to patients without diabetes, patients with uncomplicated diabetes had lower percentages of in-hospital mortality and postoperative complications, but patients with complicated diabetes had a higher percentage of postoperative complications. In addition, patients with diabetes only, but not patients with diabetes and hypertension only, had a lower percentage of in-hospital mortality than patients without any comorbidity.

Conclusion

The present results suggested the protective effects of uncomplicated diabetes on short-term surgical outcomes in stage I/II colon cancer patients after open colectomy. Further studies are warranted to confirm these unexpected findings and investigate the possible underlying mechanisms.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Colorectal Cancer Survival in Southern Spain: A Multilevel Population-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Spain. Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer survival are not documented in Spain. We aim to study the association of socioeconomic inequalities with overall mortality and survival among CRC patients in southern Spain.

METHODS

We conducted a multilevel population-based cohort study, including CRC cases for the period 2011-2013. The study time-to-event outcome was death, and the primary exposure was CRC patients' socioeconomic status assessed by the Spanish deprivation index at the census tract level. We used a mixed-effects flexible hazard model, including census tract as a random intercept, to derive overall survival estimates by deprivation.

RESULTS

Among 3589 CRC patients and 12,148 person-years at risk (pyr), 964 patients died before the end of the follow-up. Mortality by deprivation showed the highest mortality rate for the most deprived group (96.2 per 1000 pyr, 95% CI: 84.0-110.2). After adjusting for sex, age, cancer stage, and the area of residence, the most deprived had a 60% higher excess mortality risk than the less deprived group (excess mortality risk ratio: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3).

CONCLUSIONS

We found a consistent association between deprivation and CRC excess mortality and survival. The reasons behind these inequalities need further investigation in order to improve equality cancer outcomes in all social groups.

Comorbidity prevalence among cancer patients: a population-based cohort study of four cancers

BACKGROUND

The presence of comorbidity affects the care of cancer patients, many of whom are living with multiple comorbidities. The prevalence of cancer comorbidity, beyond summary metrics, is not well known. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of comorbid conditions among cancer patients in England, and describe the association between cancer comorbidity and socio-economic position, using population-based electronic health records.

METHODS

We linked England cancer registry records of patients diagnosed with cancer of the colon, rectum, lung or Hodgkin lymphoma between 2009 and 2013, with hospital admissions records. A comorbidity was any one of fourteen specific conditions, diagnosed during hospital admission up to 6 years prior to cancer diagnosis. We calculated the crude and age-sex adjusted prevalence of each condition, the frequency of multiple comorbidity combinations, and used logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression to estimate the adjusted odds of having each condition and the probability of having each condition as a single or one of multiple comorbidities, respectively, by cancer type.

RESULTS

Comorbidity was most prevalent in patients with lung cancer and least prevalent in Hodgkin lymphoma patients. Up to two-thirds of patients within each of the four cancer patient cohorts we studied had at least one comorbidity, and around half of the comorbid patients had multiple comorbidities. Our study highlighted common comorbid conditions among the cancer patient cohorts. In all four cohorts, the odds of having a comorbidity and the probability of multiple comorbidity were consistently highest in the most deprived cancer patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer healthcare guidelines may need to consider prominent comorbid conditions, particularly to benefit the prognosis of the most deprived patients who carry the greater burden of comorbidity. Insight into patterns of cancer comorbidity may inform further research into the influence of specific comorbidities on socio-economic inequalities in receipt of cancer treatment and in short-term mortality.