Impact of deprivation on short- and long-term outcomes after colorectal cancer surgery

Abstract

Abstract Background The aim of the study was to determine the association between short- and long-term outcomes and deprivation for patients undergoing operative treatment for colorectal cancer in the Northern Region of England. Methods This was a retrospective analytical study based on the Northern Region Colorectal Cancer Audit Group database for the period 1998–2002. The Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004, an area-based measure, was recalibrated and used to quantify deprivation. Patients were ranked based on their postcode of residence and grouped into five categories. Results Of 8159 patients in total, 7352 (90·1 per cent) had surgery; 6953 (94·6 per cent) of the 7352 patients underwent tumour resection and 4935 (67·7 per cent) of 7294 had a margin-negative (R0) resection. Deprivation was not associated with age, sex, tumour site, stage or other tumour-related factors. Compared with the most affluent group, the most deprived patients had fewer elective operations (72·9 versus 76·4 per cent; P = 0·014), more adverse co-morbidity (P < 0·001) and fewer curative resections (65·5 versus 71·2 per cent; P < 0·001). In multivariable analysis, deprivation was not an independent predictor of postoperative death (odds ratio (OR) 0·72, 95 per cent confidence interval 0·48 to 1·06; P = 0·101) but it was a predictor of curative resection (OR 1·24, 1·01 to 1·52; P = 0·042), overall survival (HR 0·83, 0·73 to 0·95; P = 0·006) and relative survival (HR 0·74, 0·58 to 0·95; P = 0·023). Conclusion Deprivation, both independently and by influencing other surgical predictors, impacts on short- and long-term outcomes of patients with colorectal cancer.