Exploring prognostic differences in colorectal cancer (2015–2023): The impact of tumor location and stage at diagnosis

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, accounting for nearly 0.9 million deaths in 2022. Since the disease typically becomes symptomatic only at an advanced stage, health organizations are implementing organized screening programs globally to improve early detection and reduce both morbidity and mortality associated with CRC. This study aimed to investigate the baseline clinical characteristics of patients with early‐ and advanced‐stage CRC and to evaluate prognosis based on the primary tumor site and diagnostic stage. We conducted a retrospective study utilizing comprehensive cancer registry data, focusing on gastrointestinal cancer cases diagnosed between 2015 and 2023. After implementing a series of exclusion and screening processes, we identified 925 patients with CRC for further analysis. SPSS version 24.0 was used to perform statistical analysis, with a p value of less than .05 considered statistically significant. Over half of the CRC patients were male (541/917, 59.0%) and were diagnosed at an older age (≥66 years). The three most common primary tumor locations were the rectum (284/917, 31.0%), sigmoid colon (247/917, 26.9%), and ascending colon (119/917, 13.0%). Only 5.3% of CRC patients (49/917) received neoadjuvant radio‐ or chemotherapy to downstage the tumor before surgery. Regardless of cancer stage, nearly 86% of the CRC patients (788/917, 85.9%) ultimately underwent surgery to remove their primary tumor. It is noteworthy that more than 10% of CRC patients (113/916, 12.3%) may experience a recurrence of cancer within an average of 1.7 ± 1.3 years after diagnosis. As is generally expected, the survival time following a cancer diagnosis decreases as the disease progresses, while the risk of cancer recurrence increases. This study revealed that male (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0–4.6), obesity (HR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.0–3.8), invasion of peripheral nerve tissue (HR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.6–6.2), and the number of invaded lymph nodes (HR = 14.5, 95% CI = 4.3–48.7) may influence cancer recurrence. In recent years, a noticeable trend of CRC has shifted in younger individuals. Rapid changes in socioeconomic and lifestyle habits are believed to contribute significantly to the increasing incidence of CRC. Encouraging high‐risk groups to actively participate in CRC screening, using fecal occult blood testing as an initial screening tool while emphasizing the importance of a thorough colonoscopy.