Effect of age in colon cancer patients treated and not treated with surgery

This study investigated the effect of age on survival in colon cancer patients who were treated or not treated with surgery.

Researchers suggested that younger patients have higher chances of 5-year survival than older patients regardless of surgery.

Incidence of colon cancer among younger patients is increasing. Younger patients are more likely to be diagnosed with later stage cancer (spread to the lymph nodes or other areas of the body). Prior studies have shown mixed results in terms of effect of age in colon cancer. Some studies have found a worse prognosis for younger patients compared to older, while other studies find no connection. It is also unclear what role surgery to remove the tumor plays in survival in younger colon cancer patients.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on survival of patients who did and did not undergo surgery. This study included information on 123,356 patients with colon cancer. 3.6% were under age 40 years and 96.4% were older than 40 years. All patients were listed in a national cancer database. All patients were followed from cancer diagnosis to cancer-related death.

Younger patients were significantly more likely have a more advanced stage of cancer. No difference in 5-year survival rates were seen between younger and older patients treated with surgery. Older patients not treated with surgery were 1.28 times more likely to die due to colon cancer than younger patients not treated with surgery.

This study determined that patients who are aged 40 or younger have higher chances of survival than patients over 40, regardless of cancer stage.