Racial disparity trends in clinical presentation and outcomes in colorectal cancer: Findings from an urban university hospital.

Abstract

518 Background: African Americans (AA) have a higher incidence and lower survival rates from colon and rectal cancer than Caucasian Americans (C). This disparity has been attributed to many factors, including diagnosis at later stage, unfavorable histopathologic features, inadequate treatment, and socioeconomic factors. The multidisciplinary management setting ensures similarity in management and treatment planning. In this study, we assessed the pathological features and evaluated survival outcomes in patients with CRC in AA and CA using a large single institutional database. Methods: We compiled data from 3,826 patients with colon and rectal cancer treated at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital from 1988-2009 and used Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results registry data from 1988-2004 to compare survival rates. Independent variables included age, racial background, site of primary tumor, degree of differentiation, stage at presentation, recurrence-free survival and overall survival rates for colon and rectal cancer and for each stage of disease. We compared survival rates using statistical modeling to account for differences in patient and disease characteristics between the two groups. Results: At diagnosis, AA pts presented with more advanced stage of disease (p < 0.0001), were more likely to have proximal disease (p < 0.000000528), had worse overall 5-year survival, and worse survival stage-by-stage than C patients. Data also showed that the odds ratio for risk of nodal involvement was greater for AA pts than C pts with lower T tumors. AA pts were more likely to have less well differentiated colon tumors, but more well differentiated rectal tumors, younger age and worse survival stage-by stage than C pts. Although C pts were more likely to have rectal cancer (p < 0.0001), they were less likely to have stage IV disease at presentation. Conclusions: AA pts with CRC are more likely to present at a younger age with later stage, more proximal tumors, have higher nodal involvement with lower T lesions, and less well differentiated tumors than C. Additional studies on biological feature sand molecular markers are ongoing to and will be presented. No significant financial relationships to disclose.