Geographical variations in long term colorectal cancer outcomes in England: a contemporary population analysis revealing the north-south divide in colorectal cancer survival

Background Regional variations in healthcare outcomes in England have been historically reported. This study analyses the variations in long term colorectal cancer survival across different regions in England. Methods Relative survival analysis of population data obtained from all cancer registries in England between 2010 and 2014. Results Totally, 167,501 patients were studied. Regions in the southern England had better outcomes with Southwest and Oxford registries having 63.5 and 62.7% 5 year relative survival. In contrast, Trent and Northwest cancer registries had 58.1% relative survival (p < 0.01). The regions in the north fared below the national average. The survival outcomes reflected socio-economic deprivation status, the best performing regions in the south having low levels of deprivation (5.3 and 6.5% having maximum deprivation in Southwest and Oxford, respectively). The regions with worst long term cancer outcomes had high levels of deprivation with 25% and 17% having high levels of deprivation in Northwest and Trent regions. Conclusion There are significant variations in long term colorectal cancer survival between different regions in England, southern England had better relative survival when compared with the northern regions. Disparities in socio-economic depravation status in different regions may be associated with worse colorectal cancer outcomes. [GRAPHICS] .