- Title
- Comparing colorectal cancer treatment and survival for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in New South Wales
- Creator
- Weir, Kristie; Supramaniam, Rajah; Gibberd, Alison; Dillon, Anthony; Armstrong, Bruce K.; O'Connell, Dianne L.
- Relation
- NHMRC.440202
- Relation
- Medical Journal of Australia Vol. 204, Issue 4, p. 156.e1-156.e8
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.5694/mja15.01153
- Publisher
- Australasian Medical Publishing
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Objectives: Our aim was to compare surgical treatment rates and survival rates for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in New South Wales with colorectal cancer, and to describe the medical treatment received by a sample of Aboriginal people with colorectal cancer. Design, setting and participants: All people diagnosed with colorectal cancer in NSW during 2001-2007 were identified and their cancer registry records linked to hospital admissions data and death records. A medical records audit of a sample of Aboriginal people diagnosed with colorectal cancer during 2000-2011 was also conducted. Main outcome measures: Cause-specific survival, odds of surgical treatment, and the proportions of people receiving adjuvant treatments. Results: Of 29 777 eligible colorectal cancer cases, 278 (0.9%) involved Aboriginal people. Similar proportions of Aboriginal (76%) and non-Aboriginal (79%) people had undergone surgical treatment. Colorectal cancer-specific survival was similar for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people up to 18 months after diagnosis, but 5 years post-diagnosis the risk of death for Aboriginal people who had had surgical treatment was 68% higher than for non-Aboriginal people (adjusted hazards ratio, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.32-2.09). Of 145 Aboriginal people with colorectal cancer identified by the medical records audit, 117 (81%) had undergone surgery, and 56 (48%) had also received adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Conclusions: Aboriginal people with colorectal cancer had poorer survival rates than non-Aboriginal people, although rates of surgical treatment, complications and follow-up colonoscopy were similar. More work is needed to identify and understand why outcomes for Aboriginal people with colorectal cancer are different from those of other New South Wales residents.
- Subject
- colorectal cancer; cancer treatment; Aborignal people; non-Aboriginal people; NSW
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1328495
- Identifier
- uon:25922
- Identifier
- ISSN:0025-729X
- Language
- eng
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