Calculator Assesses Post-Operative Colon Cancer Patient Survival

A new smartphone application aids oncologists and patients diagnosed with colon cancer calculate individualized post-operative 5-year overall survival (OS).

Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI; Buffalo, NY, USA) queried the US National Cancer Database (NCDB) and analyzed 16 patient-specific demographic, tumor, and treatment-related variables and their impact on survival among 230,520 colon cancer patients who received treatment from 2004 to 2006. Statistical regression was applied to create a prediction model that was then internally validated using the database. The prediction model was formulated into a point-of-care, user-friendly mobile smartphone application.

Among the independent factors used to formulate the prediction calculator were patient specific characteristics, such as age, gender, race, Charlson Deyo co-morbidity index, and preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level; pathologic factors, including the site of the tumor, size, grade, pathologic stage, margin status, and number of nodes examined; and treatment options, such as type of surgery and adjuvant chemoradiation. Other factors include length of postoperative stay and unplanned readmission rates.

When the appropriate data is input, the prediction calculator provides oncologists and their patients with an individualized five-year estimate of OS, as well as providing additional information about the potential impact of chemotherapy on OS. The application and the study were presented as a poster session at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held during June 2015 in Chicago (IL, USA).

“An accurate estimate of survival after surgery is important for patients with stage II or stage III colon cancer to know,” said lead author and study presenter Emmanuel Gabriel, MD, of the RPCI department of surgical oncology. “Our goal is to use this calculator with real-time clinical care for patients and thus continue to validate its accuracy and gauge its utility.”

“Our postoperative survival calculator is unique in that it was constructed from a large nationwide cancer database and incorporates large data across a variety of settings,” added senior author assistant professor of oncology Steven Nurkin, MD. “The calculator can be specific to an individual or applicable to the population as a whole. The tool incorporates specific tumor characteristics and factors known to impact patient survival, including underlying illnesses and complications from surgery.”

Related Links:
Roswell Park Cancer Institute