Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with advanced stage colorectal cancer: a registry-based cohort...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis in Saudi Arabia frequently occurs at advanced stages, impacting patient prognosis.
• Understanding risk factors for late-stage CRC is vital for improving early detection and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify risk factors associated with late-stage colorectal cancer presentation in Saudi Arabia.
• To explore geographical and sex-based variations in these risk factors.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 17,541 CRC patients from the Saudi Cancer Registry (1997-2017).
• Logistic regression and decision tree analysis were employed to identify risk factors and regional variations.
• Stratified logistic regression examined geographical and sex-specific risk differences.

Main Results:

• 29% of CRC patients were diagnosed at a late stage.
• Younger age (<50 years) and being unmarried were associated with increased late-stage CRC risk, particularly in women.
• Significant regional variations in risk by sex were observed, with some specific to rectosigmoid cancer.

Conclusions:

• Identified key risk factors for late-stage CRC, including demographics and region, to guide targeted early detection.
• Highlights the need for further research into these relationships to develop effective prevention and early diagnosis strategies.