Comorbidity prior to diagnosis in patients with common cancer diagnoses

Abstract

e22180 Background: Chronic disease as diabetes, hypertonia and anemia may be associated with cancer risk as well as affect the short term survival of the malignancy. Methods: Using population based registry data from specialist and primary care in our health care region comorbidity in the form of anemia, hypertonia, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diasease (KOL), and alcohol related diseases for patients with colon-, rectal-, lung-, prostate and breast cancer and survival were studied. Altogether 2047 colon cancer cases, 985 rectal cancer cases, 2017 lung cancer cases, 3578 breast cancer cases and 5106 prostate cancer cases diagnosed 2000–2005 were included. Results: were age and sex adjusted and one year survival was calculated. Comorbidity was studied prior to cancer diagnosis and in order to compare with the general population all first comorbidity diagnoses within 90 days were censored. Results The prevalence of the chronic diseases in the general population was for all ages diabetes 3.2%, rheumatoid arthritis 0.5%, hypertonia 6.8%, anemia 1.1%, KOL 1.0% and alcohol related diagnoses 0.7%. Patients with colon and rectal cancer had a higher prevalence of anemia, and diabetes. Patients with lung cancer had a higher prevalence of anemia, KOL, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis for both men and women and for men also a higher prevalence of alcohol related diseases. Except for alcohol related diseases in females with breast cancer comorbidity for the above diseases was not significantly elevated for breast or prostate cancer. For all diagnoses hypertonia was significantly lower than in the general population. Survival of the different cancer diagnoses was not significantly related to the comorbidity except for a tendency of worse survival for patients with alcohol related disease. Conclusions: The prevalence of some common chronic diseases are elevated especially in colon-, rectal and lung cancer patients. The comorbidity does not seem to affect short term survival of the cancer patient except for alcohol related diagnoses. Our study also indicates the necessity to have all levels of care included in the study base of comorbidity and also emphasizes the need to censor time prior to diagnosis when comparing data with the general population. No significant financial relationships to disclose.