Mucinous adenocarcinoma is an independent predictor of improved overall survival

This study examines the survival rates of patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma colon cancer.

The gastrointestinal tract, which includes the colon and rectum, is lined with epithelial cells, which are in turn lined with a mucin membrane, or mucus, which adds lubrication to the cells an acts as an important barrier. Tumors that grow in the epithelial cells are known as carcinomas, and 10%-15% of these are mucinous adenocarcinomas, which are made up of more than 50% mucin.

Studies of mucinous adenocarcinomas generally combine patients with tumors in either the colon or rectum, but some analyses have indicated that rectal mucinous adenocarcinomas lead to a poorer prognosis than do those in the colon. The current study examined survival in patients with mucinous adenocarcinomas of the colon.

This study included 435 patients, 17.8% of whom had mucinous adenocarcinomas and 82.3% of whom had other forms of colon cancer. Patients were followed for an average of 42.4 months, and both overall survival and disease-free survival (the time the patient survived free of disease following treatment) were measured.

Mucinous adenocarcinoma was associated with a higher overall survival than other forms of colon cancer. These patients saw a 67% reduced risk of death. However, patients in whom the cancer (of any form) had spread to the lymph nodes had worse survival rates than patients without disease spread. Patients with lymph node involvement were also significantly more likely to experience a disease recurrence. However, there was no significant difference in disease-free survival between patients with mucinous adenocarcinomas and other colon cancer types.

This study concluded that mucinous adenocarcinoma is an independent predictor of improved overall survival in colon cancer patients. 

The study is retrospective (looking backwards) and focuses on a group that constitutes the minority of colonic tumors.