Benchmarked Colorectal Cancer Outcomes in a Metropolitan Hospital: A 5-Year Review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major contributor to cancer-related mortality worldwide, with survival influenced by many prognostic factors. This study aims to evaluate survival outcomes and prognostic factors for patients diagnosed with CRC at the Northern Hospital between 2016 and 2021, with a focused subgroup analysis of patients with metastatic disease.

A retrospective review was performed using data from the Bowel Cancer Outcomes Registry (B-COR) and electronic patient records. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival modeling. Univariate and multivariate cox proportional hazards analysis was used to determine independent prognostic factors.

A total of 518 patients were included. Median OS was 93.1 months, with a 1-year OS of 92.4% and a 5-year OS of 67.1%. Age, stage at diagnosis, abnormal CEA, and primary tumor resection were independently associated with survival. In Stage III disease, chemotherapy was a positive prognostic factor. In metastatic disease, patients with lung-only metastasis had the best 5-year survival at 46.0%. The receival of curative-intent chemotherapy and metastasectomy independently improved survival in this group. The timing of metastasis (synchronous vs. metachronous), primary tumor site, and primary tumor resection did not influence survival.

This study indicates comparable survival outcomes at the Northern Hospital to other high-income countries. AJCC staging and CEA are key prognostic markers and should guide risk stratification. In metastatic disease, curative-intent approaches can dramatically improve survival. These findings support the necessity for early detection and multimodal treatment in patients with CRC.