In a nutshell
This study looked at the changes in the condition of patients with colorectal cancer who had surgery to remove their tumors.
Some background
Studies have shown that surgical removal of tumors (known as resection) is associated with a positive outlook in survival for patients with colorectal cancer. This is true for patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of their body (metastasized) and is not treatable with surgery in that area. However, some subgroups of patients see more of a benefit than others.
Methods & findings
The records of 1982 patients were examined. The authors examined the cancer-specific survival of patients who had undergone surgical removal of their tumors. All patients had cancer which had spread to other parts of their body.
The authors found that surgical removal of patients’ tumors improves their survival by 54%. Surgery was less beneficial to patients older than 65, female patients, patients with cancer on the right side of their colon, and patients whose cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes.
The average cancer-specific survival time for patients who underwent surgery was 17.2 months. Patients who did not undergo surgical removal of their tumors had a reduced survival time of 6.4 months.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that surgical removal of tumors significantly improved survival in certain patient subgroups.
The fine print
As the authors chose the patients, the study may be biased.
Published By :
International Journal of Colorectal Disease
Date :
Apr 29, 2015
