Al‐Husseini, Muneer J.

Abstract Introduction Because of the improved colorectal cancer (CRC) survival in the U.S., patients may live long enough after CRC diagnosis to the point where non–cancer-related comorbidities may considerably impact their overall survival. In this study, we perform a long-term analysis of causes of death (CODs) following nonmetastatic CRC with respect to different demographic and tumor-related criteria. Materials and Methods We gained access to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data to review patients diagnosed with nonmetastatic CRC during 2000–2015. We calculated standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for each COD following CRC. SMRs represented the change of risk of a specific COD following CRC diagnoses when compared with the risk in the general U.S. population. Results We reviewed 302,345 patients, of whom 112,008 died during the study period. More deaths (68.3%) occurred within 5 years following nonmetastatic CRC diagnosis, with 76,486 deaths. CRC was the most common COD (51.4%) within 5 years of diagnosis followed by heart disease (15.2%) and other cancers (8.4%). As time passed after diagnosis, the number of CRC deaths decreased, and other noncancer causes increased to the point that after 10 years only 10.4% of deaths were attributed to CRC, 15.3% were attributed to other cancers, and 34.2% were secondary to heart disease. Conclusion Following nonmetastatic CRC diagnosis, most deaths remain secondary to CRC. Other causes, including other cancers and cardiovascular disease, represent a significant number of deaths, especially in the 5 years following initial CRC diagnosis. Our findings help guide counseling patients with CRC regarding future health risks. Implications for Practice Most common causes of death following nonmetastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) are heart diseases, other cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cerebrovascular diseases. Physicians should counsel patients regarding survivorship with cancer screening and focus on prevention of noncancer deaths. These findings should be considered by physicians who give care for survivors of nonmetastatic CRC.

e16059 Background: Anal cancer is an uncommon malignancy accounting for less than 3% of gastrointestinal malignancies in the US. In this large database study, we aimed to re-evaluate the difference in the incidence and mortality trend in both genders. Methods: We used SEER 18 database to study anal cancer cases in the US during 2000-2016. Incidence and mortality rates of anal cancer were calculated by gender and were expressed by 1,000,000 person-years. Annual percent change (APC) was calculated using join point regression software. Results: We reviewed 25,418 patients with anal cancer, of which 61.4% were females. Incidence of anal cancers was 14.375 and 19.427 per 1,000,000 person-years, in males and females, respectively. Incidence rates of anal cancer significantly increased over the study period, but this increase was sharper in females (APC = 2.220%, 95%CI [1.924-2.517], P < .001) when compared to males (APC = 0.915%, 95%CI [0.303-1.531], P = .006). Mortality rates from anal cancer over the study period were 7.425 and 7.532 per 1,000,000 person-years, in males and females, respectively. Overall anal cancer mortality rates did not change between 2000-2009 but started to decrease starting from 2010 and this decrease became sharpest between 2014-2016; APC = -44.905%, 95%CI [-57.572- -28.457], P = .001). Mortality rates followed the same trend in both genders. Conclusions: Anal cancer incidence is increasing with significant increase in the incidence trend is noticed in females compared to males which is a change from the previous trend that was seen from 1973-2000. On the other hand, anal cancer mortality has started to decrease for the first time starting from 2010 with no difference in the mortality trend between males and females. This improvement in mortality rate can be explained by the improvement in early detection rate and possibly improvement in the treatment approach for these high-risk patients.

BackgroundThe focus on noncancer causes of death in patients with breast cancer (BC) remains superficial. The objective of the current study was to assess and quantify causes of death after BC diagnosis.MethodsIn total, 754,270 women with BC in the United States who were diagnosed during 2000 through 2015 and retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program were studied. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for causes of death were calculated.ResultsOf the included patients, 183,002 (24.3%) died during the follow‐up period. The greatest proportion of deaths (46.2%) occurred within 1 to 5 years after diagnosis. Most deaths occurred from BC itself or from other cancers, and the number of BC deaths decreased as more years passed after diagnosis. The most common noncancer causes of death within <10 years after diagnosis were heart diseases followed by cerebrovascular diseases. However, >10 years after diagnosis, the most common noncancer causes of death were heart diseases followed by Alzheimer disease. Patients had a statistically significant higher risk of death from chronic liver diseases within 5 to 10 years after diagnosis compared with the general population (SMR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.09‐1.38) and had statistically significant higher risks of death from Alzheimer disease (SMR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.14‐1.29) and from diseases of the heart (SMR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02‐1.09) >10 years after diagnosis.ConclusionsAlthough BC remains the most common cause of death after BC diagnosis, other non‐BC causes of death (mainly heart and cerebrovascular diseases) represent a significant number of deaths among patients with BC. These findings provide important insight into how BC survivors should be counselled regarding future health risks.