Data from Survival of Middle Eastern and North African Individuals Diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer: A Population-Based Study in California

Abstract Background: Literature on colorectal cancer (CRC) outcomes in individuals of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent is limited. To address this gap, we estimated five-year CRC-specific survival by race and ethnicity, including MENA individuals, in a diverse, population-based sample in California. Methods: We identified adults (ages 18-79 years) diagnosed with a first or only CRC in 2004 – 2017 using the California Cancer Registry, including non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, Hispanic, and MENA individuals. For each racial/ethnic group, we calculated five-year CRC-specific survival and used Cox proportional hazards regression models to examine the association of race/ethnicity and survival, adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic factors. Results: Of 110,192 persons diagnosed with CRC, five-year CRC-specific survival was lowest in Black (61.0%) and highest in MENA (73.2%) individuals. Asian (72.2%) individuals had higher survival than White (70.0%) and Hispanic (68.2%) individuals. In adjusted analysis, MENA (aHR 0.82, 95% CI 0.76, 0.89), Asian (aHR 0.86, 95% CI 0.83, 0.90), and Hispanic (aHR 0.94, 95% CI 0.91, 0.97) race/ethnicity were associated with higher, and Black (aHR 1.13, 95% CI 1.09, 1.18) race/ethnicity was associated with lower, survival compared to non-Hispanic White race/ethnicity. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to report CRC survival in MENA individuals in the U.S. We observed higher survival of MENA individuals compared to other racial/ethnic groups, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors. Impact: Future studies are needed to identify factors contributing to cancer outcomes in this unique population.