title: Effect of Age on Survival Outcome in Operated and Non-Operated Patients with Colon Cancer: A Population-Based Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To know the effect of age on survival outcome in operated and non-operated patients with colon cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, we identified 123,356 patients with colon cancer who were diagnosed between 1996 and 2005, grouped them as older or younger than 40 years and analyzed their 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) data, along with some risk factors, using Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariable Cox regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The younger group had significantly higher pathological grades (P<0.001), more mucinous and signet-ring histology (P<0.001), advanced AJCC stage (P<0.001), and were more likely to undergo surgery (P<0.001). For surgically treated patients, age did not significantly affect 5-year CSS (younger: 66.7%; older: 67.3%; P = 0.86). Further analysis showed that age was an independent prognostic factor in stage I-IV disease (stage I: P = 0.001; P<0.001 for stages II-IV, in both uni- and multivariate analyses), but not for patients with unknown disease stage (P = 0.52). For non-surgically treated patients, age significantly affected 5-year CSS (younger: 16.2%; older: 12.9%; P<0.001) in univariate analysis; and was an independent prognostic factor (P<0.001) in multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CSS rate for younger CC patients was at least as high as for older patients, although they presented with higher proportions of unfavorable factors and more advanced disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Endoscopy and Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.|Department of Gastroenterology, The NO.1 People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: ZhongHua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Endoscopy and Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.|Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: XiaoHong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Endoscopy and Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: XueMing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Endoscopy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: ZhiNing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D018426:SEER Program; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult