Abstract
Black Americans (BA) have higher incidence and higher mortality rates for colorectal cancers (CRC) as compared to White Americans (WA). While there are several identified risk factors associated with the development of CRC and evidence that high levels of adequate screening can reduce differences in incidence for CRC between BA and WA, there remains little data regarding patient co-morbid contributions towards survival once an individual has CRC. Here we set out to identify patient risk factors that influenced overall survival in a cohort of 293 BA and 348 WA with colon cancer, ages 40 to 84 years old, with at least 10 years of follow- up. We utilized the logistic regression test for statistical associations, the Kaplan- Meier method with log rank test for survival analyses, and Cox Proportional Hazards Models for covariate independence. Amid our cohort, we found that patients’ age, tobacco usage, and pre-diagnosed medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes were associated with shorter overall survival (OS) from colon cancer. We identified pre-diagnosed hypertension (19.6% contribution) and diabetes (12% contribution) among BA were together responsible for nearly one-third of the colon cancer mortality disparity compared with WA. We also identified long-term regular use (>5 years aggregated years of drug use) of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, was associated with shorter OS from colon cancer among WA >65 years of age (Hazard Ratio 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.12-2.77), but not younger WA patients or any aged BA patients. Our results raise the importance of not only treating the colon cancer itself, but also taking into consideration co-morbid medical conditions and NSAID usage to enhance patient OS. Further evaluation regarding adequate treatment of co-morbidities and timing of NSAID continuance after cancer therapy will need to be studied.
Citation Format: Minoru Koi, Yoshiki Okita, Erika Koeppe, Elena M. Stoffel, Joseph A. Galanko, Nikki McCoy, Temitope Keku, John M. Carethers. Co-morbid risk factors and NSAID use among white and black Americans that predicts overall survival from diagnosed colon cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-222.