Cause of death the first year after curative colorectal cancer surgery; a prolonged impact of the surgery in elderly colorectal cancer patients.

Background: The 1-year mortality after colorectal cancer surgery is high and explains age related differences in colorectal cancer survival. To gain better insight in its etiology, cause of death for these patients was studied.

Methods: All 1924 patients who had a resection for stage I-III colorectal cancer from 2006 to 2008 in the Western region of the Netherlands were identified.

Complicated postoperative recovery increases omission, delay and discontinuation of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with Stage III colon cancer.

Aim: The study included investigation of factors determining suboptimal adjuvant chemotherapy of patients diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer.

Method: All 606 patients diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer between 2006 and 2008 in the western part of the Netherlands were included. Patient [gender, age, comorbidity and socio-economic status (SES)], tumour (location, stage and grade) and treatment (emergency surgery, laparoscopic surgery, reoperation, hospital stay and multidisciplinary meeting) factors were examined in logistic regression analyses predicting a complicated postoperative period and omission, delay and discontinuation of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Improved guideline compliance after a 3-year audit of multidisciplinary colorectal cancer care in the western part of the Netherlands.

Background: From 2006 to 2008, an audit of the multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer patients in the western part of the Netherlands was carried out. We evaluated whether compliance with guidelines had improved.

Methods: All patients with newly diagnosed and surgically treated colon (n = 1,667) and rectal cancer (n = 544) stage I-III were evaluated.