Survival of untreated advanced colorectal cancer patients

Abstract

Colorectal cancer has specific biological characteristics that distinguish it from other malignancies. One such characteristic is its slow growth in patients in advanced stages. For the past 15 years, no effective systemic treatment has been available in clinical practice. The present study involved a retrospective evaluation of patients with advanced colorectal cancer in order to assess the median and overall survival of patients. Concurrently, the study aimed to describe the biological characteristics of this slow-growing disease and the quality of life of the patients. The key characteristic of this patient group was the lack of any systemic treatment. The study included 40 patients (25 male and 15 female, median age 67 years) who were evaluated between 1993 and 1996. Only supportive treatment was provided. One patient underwent 2 cycles of chemotherapy. Liver surgery was unsuccessfully performed on 3 patients. Two patients underwent radiofrequency once and 2 had intra-arterial treatment, also once. The results showed the median survival of patients to be 24 months (range 16-42). One-year survival was found to be 65% while the 2-year survival was found to be 25%. A satisfactory quality of life was also observed. In conclusion, colorectal cancer is a slow-going malignancy, as indicated by the long-term survival of patients and the biological characteristics of the tumor.