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The impact of family history on the outcome of patients with colorectal cancer in a veterans’ hospital

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of a family history (FH) of colorectal cancer (CRC) in first-degree relatives on the outcome of patients with CRC in a veterans’ hospital in Taiwan.

Methods

Patients (N  = 3,383) with colorectal adenocarcinoma were studied; pedigrees were collected prospectively. Associations between FH and clinicopathologic variables were analyzed using linear-by-linear association. Survival was examined with Kaplan–Meier curves and the log-rank test.

Results

Two hundred ninety-seven patients (8.78%) had a first-degree relative with CRC. The average age of onset of CRC was 68.3 years in patients without a FH. This was significantly higher than the age of onset in patients with a FH (66.4 years—one first-degree relative with CRC; 48.8 years—two or more first-degree relatives, P < 0.001). Patients with more affected family members had a higher incidence of right-sided tumor (P = 0.004), metachronous cancer (P = 0.034), and less-advanced disease (P = 0.044). The 5-year overall survival was 83% for patients with two or more first-degree relatives with CRC, 57% for those with one first-degree relative, and 55% for those without a FH (P = 0.001). The 5-year DFS was 91% for patients with two or more first-degree relatives, 66% for those with one first-degree relative, and 64% for those without a FH of CRC (P = 0.002). In the multivariate analysis, TNM stage played the most independent prognostic factor, followed by FH (P < 0.001, hazard ratio = 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.24–1.85).

Conclusions

CRC patients with a family history of CRC had better survival than did those without a family history of CRC.

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Abbreviations

FH:

family history

CRC:

colorectal cancer

DFS:

disease-free survival

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the kind assistance of Nurse Wen-Chien Sung, Nurse Jihn-Yi Shy, and Nurse Ching-Ju Yang who performed the patient interviews.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, No 201, Section 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan

    Ping-Sheng Kao, Jen-Kou Lin, Huann-Sheng Wang, Shung-Haur Yang, Jeng-Kai Jiang, Wei-Shone Chen, Tzu-Chen Lin & Shih-Ching Chang

  2. Department of Pathology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Anna Fen-Yau Li & Wen-Yi Liang

Authors
  1. Ping-Sheng Kao
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  2. Jen-Kou Lin
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  3. Huann-Sheng Wang
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  4. Shung-Haur Yang
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  5. Jeng-Kai Jiang
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  6. Wei-Shone Chen
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  7. Tzu-Chen Lin
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  8. Anna Fen-Yau Li
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  9. Wen-Yi Liang
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  10. Shih-Ching Chang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shih-Ching Chang.

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Kao, PS., Lin, JK., Wang, HS. et al. The impact of family history on the outcome of patients with colorectal cancer in a veterans’ hospital. Int J Colorectal Dis 24, 1249–1254 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-009-0774-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-009-0774-3

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