Premium
Colorectal cancer among I ndigenous and non‐ I ndigenous people in Q ueensland, A ustralia: Toward survival equality
Author(s) -
Moore Suzanne P,
Green Adèle C,
Bray Freddie,
Coory Michael,
Garvey Gail,
Sabesan Sabe,
Valery Patricia C
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
asia‐pacific journal of clinical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1743-7563
pISSN - 1743-7555
DOI - 10.1111/ajco.12164
Subject(s) - indigenous , life expectancy , colorectal cancer , medicine , demography , incidence (geometry) , population , gerontology , cancer , cohort , proportional hazards model , environmental health , biology , ecology , sociology , physics , optics
Aim While Indigenous people in Q ueensland have lower colorectal cancer ( CRC ) incidence and mortality than the rest of the population, CRC remains the third most frequent cancer among A ustralian Indigenous people overall. This study aimed to investigate patterns of care and survival between Indigenous and non‐ I ndigenous A ustralians with CRC . Methods Through a matched‐cohort design we compared 80 I ndigenous and 85 non‐Indigenous people all diagnosed with CRC and treated in Q ueensland public hospitals during 1998–2004 (frequency matched on age, sex, geographical remoteness). We compared clinical and treatment data ( P earson's chi‐square) and all‐cause and cancer survival ( C ox regression analysis). Results Indigenous patients with CRC were not significantly more likely to have comorbidity, advanced disease at diagnosis or less treatment than non‐Indigenous people. There was also no statistically significant difference in all‐cause survival ( HR 1.14, 95% CI 0.69, 1.89) or cancer survival ( HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.60, 1.69) between the two groups. Conclusions Similar CRC mortality among Indigenous and other A ustralians may reflect both the lower incidence and adequate management. Increasing life expectancy and exposures to risk factors suggests that Indigenous people are vulnerable to a growing burden of CRC . Primary prevention and early detection will be of paramount importance to future CRC control among Indigenous Australians. Current CRC management must be maintained and include prevention measures to ensure that predicted increases in CRC burden are minimized.