The Demographic Characteristics of Patients with Colon Cancer and Response to Treatment

Objective: To demonstrate the demographic characteristics of 209 patients with colon cancer who were followed up in the oncology department and their survival rates. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who were treated and followed up with a diagnosis of colon cancer at the Istanbul Education and Research Hospital Oncology Department between 2009-2012 was made. The analysis included age, gender, tumor and metastasis localization, metastasectomy, tumor stage, treatment protocols, progression, progressionfree survival, and overall survival. Results: The age was between 25 and 91, and the mean age was 63.2. The male: female ratio was 1.5:1. The most frequent site of localization was the sigmoid colon, and the most frequent site of metastasis was the liver. In 27.8% of patients, metastasis was found, and only 12.1% of them had a metastasectomy. The progression rates were 7.7% (16) in stage I, 31.6% (66) in stage II, 33.0% (69) in stage III, and 27.8% (58) in stage IV patients. The overall 36-month survival rate of the patients was 71.5%; the mean duration of survival was 30 months. For treatment, 5-FU and leucovorin (MAYO) were given to 53 patients (37.9), oxaliplatin-containing regimens (FOLFOX) were given to 51 patients (36.4%), capecitabine-containing regimens (XELOX) were given to 23 patients (16.4%), combined treatment of bevacizumab and FOLFIRI was given to 7 patients (5%), irinotecan- containing regimens (IFL) were given to 4 patients (2.9%), and combined treatment of bevacizumab and FOLFOX was given to 2 (1.4%) patients. Overall survival rates were 93% for 6 months, 87.3% for 12 months, 76.3% for 24 months, and 71.5% for 36 months. Conclusion: Colon cancer is a disease of the elderly, but it can also be seen in younger ages. A significantly frequent progression and severe decrease in overall survival rate and an increase in mortality are seen in patients who have metastasis. Although there are many chemotherapeutic options for treatment, MAYO and FOLFOX regimens were found to be significantly superior in terms of survival in postoperative patients, whereas in metastatic diseases, all of the applied chemotherapeutic agents provided a significant contribution to the prognosis and prolonged the duration of survival.