Do other illnesses influence survival?

This study aims to evaluate the effect of other concurrent illnesses (comorbidities) on the survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

CRC is the second most common cancer in the western world. Usually, diagnosis occurs in patients over the age of 65, who are prone to other chronic diseases. At least one third of CRC patients, live with several comorbidities. A comorbidity is the presence of one or more diseases in addition to the primary disease (here, CRC). As comorbidities can contribute to the overall mortality of CRC patients, it is important to know what factors can be also treated, in order to ensure a higher survival.

56,963 CRC patients and 271,670 participants without CRC (control group) were chosen for this trial. The two groups had the same comorbidities, such as heart disease, kidney and liver disease, dementia (loss of mental functions such as thinking, reasoning or memory) and diabetes. Overall, this study found that in the first year after diagnosis, comorbidities have the highest impact, and may increase mortality rate in CRC patients. Also, the severity of comorbidities, measured through the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), was associated with CRC mortality. Therefore, CRC patients with a CCI score of 1 had a 9.3% mortality rate, while CRC patients with a CCI score of 4 or higher had a 35% mortality rate. 

Mortality rate in the first year after a CRC diagnosis in patients with comorbidities was 40%, compared to 4.8% in the control group. 2 to 5 years after the diagnosis however, comorbidities had a smaller impact on CRC mortality compared to the control group. In particular, dementia, leukemia (cancer of the blood cells), liver and kidney diseases showed to increase mortality in CRC patients.

This study found comorbidities to strongly influence survival in CRC patients. The trial suggests that treatment of comorbidities should be considered as an integral part of clinical care for CRC patients. A successful treatment of comorbidities might improve survival rates for these patients. 

Visit your doctor for regular checkups and ask how you can improve your overall health status.