Prevalence and predictors of interval colorectal cancers in medicare beneficiaries.

ABSTRACT:

Background

After a colonoscopy that is negative for cancer, a subset of patients may be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, also termed interval cancer. The frequency and predictors have not been well studied in a population-based US cohort.

Methods

The authors used the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database to identify 57,839 patients aged ≥ 69 years who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 1994 and 2005 and who underwent colonoscopy within 6 months of cancer diagnosis. Colonoscopy performed between 6 and 36 months before cancer diagnosis was a proxy for interval cancer.

Results

By using the case definition, 7.2% of patients developed interval cancers. Factors that were associated with interval cancers included proximal tum

SUBMITTER: Cooper GS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3258472 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature