Compliance with the 62-day target does not improve long-term survival

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines require patients with colorectal cancer to wait no longer than 62 days from first referral to initiation of definitive treatment. We previously demonstrated that failure to meet with these guidelines did not appear to lead to poor outcomes in the short term. This study investigates whether this holds true over a longer period.

The survival status of 1,012 patients treated for colorectal cancer between January 1999 and June 2005 was reviewed. As in the previous audit, patients were placed into four groups, standard met (elective), standard met (emergency), standard failed (elective) and standard failed (emergency). Parameters analysed were pathological staging, 30-day mortality, long-term survival and cause of death. Data was analysed using log rank and chi-squared tests.

Operative mortality was higher in patients meeting the standard (7% elective, 20% emergency) compared to those who did not meet the standard (4% elective, 7% emergency). The proportion of early stage disease (Dukes' A and B) was highest in elective patients who failed the standard (50%) and lowest in emergencies meeting the standard (30%). Long-term survival was greatest in elective patients who failed the standard with 52% alive in October 2011 compared to 34% of elective cases meeting the standard. The most common cause of recorded death was colorectal cancer in all groups.

Patients who were not treated within the time frame set by the SIGN guidelines survived for longer following surgery. Reasons for this are likely to be multifactorial and include pathological cancer stage.