Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Due to an increased rate of surveillance colonoscopy, we aim to determine the impact of stage migration on the incidence and overall survival (OS) of patients who underwent pathological staging of colorectal cancer (CRC) at our Health Network System. METHODS: Two datasets were included: subjects from the tumor registry at a regional Comprehensive Cancer Center (n = 1385) and subjects from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) national database (n = 202,391). RESULTS: A significant increase in the diagnosis of CRC Stage 1 and 4 was observed, with a decrease in stage 2, and no change in Stage 3 in the National datasets (p < 0.01). There was an increase in Stage 4 CRC diagnosis, with a concurrent decrease in stage 2, and no changes in stages 1 and 3 in the regional dataset (p < 0.05). OS followed the expected and progressive decrease in OS by stage (from 1 to 4, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The present findings confirmed CRC stage migration in our Health Network System, along with a national trend conducive to an increased OS for early CRC stages.