Risk Factors Predicting Colorectal Cancer Recurrence Following Initial Treatment: A 5-Year Cohort Study

Abstract

<strong><span style="font-size: small;">Purpose: </span></strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Recurrence is one of the most important factors influencing survival of colorectal cancer patients. </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Subjects and Methods: </span></strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;">In this cohort study, clinical and demographic characteristics of 561 patients with colorectal cancer were </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;">collected from 2010 to 2015. Medical records and telephone interviews were used to define the patient's clinical status </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;">including the date of any recurrence during the study period. The multivariate Cox model was used as the main strategy for analyzing data. </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Results: </span></strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Some 239 (42.6%) patients experienced cancer recurrence during the 5-year follow-up period. Those with an older age at diagnosis had a higher risk of cancer recurrence than their younger counterparts [Hazard Ratio (HR) >70 y /</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;">treatment did not significantly predict recurrence. </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Conclusion: </span></strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Access to enhanced medical services including cancer diagnosis at an early stage and optimal treatment is needed to improve the survival and quality of life of CRC patients. </span></span></span>