title: Lifestyle and family history influence cancer prognosis in Brazilian individuals.
abstract: The aim of this research was to study prognostic parameters of CRC by analyzing clinical and pathological variables associated with cancer patients at a northeastern Brazilian Hospital. This was a retrospective study evaluating CRC-diagnosed patients across a 10-year period (1995-2005) at Dr. Luiz Antônio Hospital in Natal, RN, Brazil. Data were collected from patients' medical files. A total of 358 patients were included over the 10-year period. The average age at diagnosis was 58.8 years (S.D.=15.26), 48.3% of the patients were males and 51.7% were females. Alcohol consumption significantly increased the chance of dying (p<0.023) from colorectal cancer; this increased risk of death was approximately 71%, compared to 52.2% of the non-alcoholics. In addition, tobacco increased the chance of developing high TNM stage tumors (level III, IV; p<0.001). Another risk factor for increased mortality was a family history for colorectal cancer (p<0.002). Our analysis found that patients with an unhealthy lifestyle and/or family history of colorectal cancer were more likely to develop advanced stage colorectal cancer and to have a poor disease prognosis compared to patients with healthy lifestyle and/or sporadic colorectal cancer. These data suggest that a mass screening program should be implemented in northeastern Brazil in order to better prevent and treat colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Post Graduation Program in Functional and Structural Biology, UFRN, Natal, RN, Brazil; Post Graduation Program Health Science, UFRN, Natal, RN, Brazil; Department of Morphology, UFRN, Natal, RN, Brazil. Electronic address: aurigena@ufrnet.br.
authors.forename: Raimundo F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lira
authors.forename: Hugo G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Guedes
authors.forename: Marília A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Cavalcante
authors.forename: Ana Lucia M
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Carlos César O
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Aurigena Antunes
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: de Araújo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001938:Brazil; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*
keywords: Brazil; Colorectal cancer; Neoplasm by site; Public health; Survival