Factors associated with short recurrence-free survival in completely resected colon cancer

Background: Several factors could affect disease recurrence in surgically resected colon cancer. While the role of certain factors such as cancer stage and grade is well established, the role of other factors (e.g., histological subtypes) is yet to be determined. Objective:Therefore, we conducted a study to evaluate the impact of several factors in recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients who were disease free following surgical resection of the colon cancer. Design/Methods: Data were collected for patients with Stage I-III colon cancer who underwent complete surgical resection of the tumor between January 2010 and December 2015 in our institution. A total of 90 subjects met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. The following factors were collected at the time of surgical resection of the colonic tumor: patient's age, gender, colon cancer stage, grade and histological subtype, body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, and smoking history. Results: A total of 28 patients (31%) developed recurrence and had a mean follow-up time of 19.8 months (range: 2-54.4 months). Median RFS was 54.4 months with a 5-year RFS of 49%. Advanced colonic cancer stage and mucinous histological subtype were associated with shorter RFS with an HR of 2.37, 95% CI = 1.38-4.06, and 95% CI = 1.02-5.90, respectively. Current smokers or those who quit less than 15 years earlier tended to have worse RFS with an HR of 2.47, 95% CI = 0.98-6.27. Conclusion: Advanced colon cancer stage and mucinous histological subtype are independent risk factors for cancer recurrence and shorter RFS in completely resected colonic tumor.