Oncological treatment and outcome of colorectal cancer in Greenland

Abstract

Oncological treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been available in Greenland since 2004. Treatment is provided by Queen Ingrid´s Hospital (QIH), under supervision from the Department of Oncology, Rigshospitalet, Denmark. The study describes patient characteristics, oncological treatment and survival for the first 8 years of treatment. The study was a registry-based observational study of all patients in Greenland diagnosed with histologically verified CRC from August 2004 to August 2012. Analyses were stratified according to stage and discussed in relation to reported data from patients with CRC in Denmark. 180 patients were included. Stage I, II, III, and IV comprised 15, 34, 23, and 23%, respectively. 5% presented with unknown stage. A total of 51% received oncological treatment. 79% of patients with Stage III disease received adjuvant chemotherapy, 61% of patients with metastatic CRC received palliative chemotherapy. Five-year survival was 48 and 53% for colon and rectum cancer, respectively. An insignificant trend towards higher survival in men than in women was seen; adjusted hazard ratio for death (women vs men) = 1.46 (95% CI = 0.97–2.19). In conclusion; Stage distribution, provision of oncological treatment and 5-year survival were comparable to patients diagnosed and treated in Denmark.