Abstract 148P
Background
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer-causing death worldwide. However, CRC patients may have other comorbidities contributing to their mortality. No studies reported all-cause and CRC-specific mortality outcomes. So, our study aims to identify causes of death in CRC patients and determine comorbidities and risk factors related to mortality outcomes in CRC patients.
Methods
Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) software, we extracted the data of patients with colorectal cancer aged more than 60 years and diagnosed from 2000 to 2020. We used SPSS version 23 to analyze time to event (death) and calculate the cumulative incidence of death for each cause. Unknown races and age data were excluded.
Results
Out of 403867 CRC patients, 32.6% died from CRC (n = 131,529), 32% died from other causes (n = 65,076), and 35.4% were alive (n = 142,944). Among those who died, the most common cause of death was CRC, followed by diseases of the heart 8.9%. The third cause of death was cerebrovascular diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and allied conditions with 1.9% for each. Performing the COX-regression model, females had a lower risk compared to males (HR=0.84; 95%CI: 0.83-0.85, P<0.00). Compared to the white race, the black race had higher overall mortality (HR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.25-1.29, P<0.00). Colon cancer as a cause of death was significantly associated with Sex (HR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01-1.04, P<0.00) and race (HR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.04-1.08, P<0.00), while rectal cancer as a cause of death was associated with race (HR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03-1.14, P<0.001).
Conclusions
The results show colorectal cancer as a major cause of death in CRC patients. Among CRC cancer patients, death from other causes was very close to CRC-specific mortality. Heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases, and COPD contributed to a large proportion of mortality. Sub-stratification analysis showed disparities by race and sex, this can aid in clinical decision-making and help to develop better management plans putting into consideration the co-morbidities of the elderly.
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.