6533b85bfe1ef96bd12ba29a

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Factors that influence treatment delay in patients with colorectal cancer

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// Irene Zarcos-Pedrinaci 1, 11 , Alberto Fernandez-Lopez 2 , Teresa Tellez 1, 11 , Francisco Rivas-Ruiz 1, 11 , Antonio Rueda A 3, 11 , Maria Manuela Morales Suarez-Varela 4 , Eduardo Briones 5 , Marisa Bare 6, 11 , Antonio Escobar 7, 11 , Cristina Sarasqueta 8, 11 , Nerea Fernandez de Larrea 9, 11 , Urko Aguirre 10, 11 , Jose Maria Quintana 10, 11 , Maximino Redondo 1, 11 and On Behalf of the CARESS-CCR Study Group 1 Research Unit, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain 2 Servicio de Cirugia, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain 3 Servicio de Oncologia Medica, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain 4 Unit of Public Health, Hygiene and Environmental Health, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Science, Toxicology and Legal Medicine, University of Valencia, CIBER-Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Valencia, Spain 5 Public Health Unit, Distrito Sanitario Sevilla, Consorcio de Investigacion Biomedica de Epidemiologia y Salud Publica, Madrid, Spain 6 Clinical Epidemiology and Cancer Screening, Corporacio Sanitaria Parc Tauli, Sabadell, Spain 7 Research Unit, Hospital Universitario Basurto, Bilbao, Spain 8 Research Unit, Donostia University Hospital, San Sebastian, Spain 9 Area of Environmental Epidemiology and Cancer, National Epidemiology Centre, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiologia y Salud Publica, CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain 10 Research Unit, Hospital Galdakao-Usansolo, Galdakao, Spain 11 Red de Investigacion en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Cronicas – REDISSEC, Spain Correspondence to: Maximino Redondo, email: mredondo@hcs.es Keywords: colorectal, cancer, delay, treatment, education Received: May 30, 2016     Accepted: November 12, 2016     Published: November 24, 2016 ABSTRACT A prospective study was performed of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC), distinguishing between colonic and rectal location, to determine the factors that may provoke a delay in the first treatment (DFT) provided. 2749 patients diagnosed with CRC were studied. The study population was recruited between June 2010 and December 2012. DFT is defined as time elapsed between diagnosis and first treatment exceeding 30 days. Excessive treatment delay was recorded in 65.5% of the cases, and was more prevalent among rectal cancer patients. Independent predictor variables of DFT in colon cancer patients were a low level of education, small tumour, ex-smoker, asymptomatic at diagnosis and following the application of screening. Among rectal cancer patients, the corresponding factors were primary school education and being asymptomatic. We conclude that treatment delay in CRC patients is affected not only by clinicopathological factors, but also by sociocultural ones. Greater attention should be paid by the healthcare provider to social groups with less formal education, in order to optimise treatment attention.