Prognostic factors for survival in colorectal cancer patients

To determine the prognostic value for survival of pretreatment characteristics and treatments in stage 1-IV colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

The present retrospective cohort study was conducted by reviewing 287files of stage I-IV CRC patients. Fifteen clinical variables were investigated through analysis as prognostic factors for survival.

The median survival time for CRC patients, colon and rectal cancer patients were 37.2, 43.2, and 29.5 months respectively The 5-year survival rates of CRC patients were 38.6%. 5-year stage-specific survivals for stage I, II, III and IV CRC were 100%, 68%, 44%, and 2% respectively (p < 0.001). Sixty eight percent of CRC patients were in stages III and IV Multivariate analysis revealed age > or =60 years old, WHO performance status 3, stage III and IV disease and poorly differentiated histology as poor prognostic factors for survival, whereas treatment with complete surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy was a good prognostic factor for survival in CRC.

As the majority of patients were in advanced stages with poor prognosis, early stage disease identification and treatment with newer agents would likely improve survival of high-risk CRC patients.