Colorectal Cancer Survival and Its Prognostic Factors in Karachi, Pakistan

To determine the survival rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the Pakistani population and determine the prognostic factors for survival among the CRC patients.

Retrospective cohort study. Place and Duration of the Study: The cancer registry of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from 2010 to 2016.

The abstracted data from the cancer registry was cleaned and updated regarding the vital status at the last follow-up. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a cox regression model to assess the prognostic factors for survival.

The overall proportion of late-onset CRC (>50 years of age) was 55.3% and early-onset CRC (<=50 years of age) was higher than expected (45.7%). A high level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (>5 ng/ml) was associated with poor survival compared to patients with CEA levels of ≤5 ng/ml (aHR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.04, 2.72). Patients, who experienced recurrence, showed poorer survival (aHR = 4.27, 95% CI = 2.55, 7.14). Patients, who did not undergo surgery, showed significantly poorer survival compared to those who underwent surgery (aHR = 5.53, 95% CI = 2.35, 13.03).

The findings suggest that monitoring CEA levels, ensuring prompt surgical treatment and follow-up care for recurrent cases can improve survival outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), Surgery, Recurrence, Grade, Cancer registry.