The impact of a patient's social network on emergency surgery for colon cancer.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate if patients with a weak social network and colon cancer are more likely to be operated as an emergency than those with a strong social network.

Methods: Data from patients living in Västerbotten County, Sweden, who underwent colon cancer surgery between 2007 and 2020 were extracted from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry (SCRCR). Patients identified were matched against the Västerbotten Intervention Program (VIP) and the longitudinal study Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA).

Distance to hospital is not a risk factor for emergency colon cancer surgery.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to see if the distance to a hospital performing colon cancer surgery is a risk factor for emergency surgical intervention and to determine the variability between defined but demographically divergent catchment areas.

Methods: Data on patients living in Västerbotten County who underwent colon cancer surgery between 2007 and 2010 were extracted from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Register (SCRCR). Of the 436 registrations matching these criteria, 380 patients were used in the analysis, and their distance to the nearest hospital providing care for colorectal cancer (CRC) was estimated using Google Maps™.