Introduction: Epidemiological data of colorectal cancer are sparse and often incomplete. Therefore, we initiated a population-based examination of five-year survival of colorectal cancer patients.
Methods: For complete registration, diagnosis and tumour stage of all patients in the region of Bonn/Rhine-Sieg were assessed independently according to reports of medical practitioners and pathologists. Each patient was followed by a standardised questionnaire during a period of five years.
Results: Between June and November, 1994 348 patients were registered. Median age at diagnosis was 69 years for males (n = 160) and 72 years for females (n = 188). According to the UICC classification 18, 26, 23 and 26 % had stage I-IV tumours, respectively; the tumour stage remained unclear in 7 %. Adjuvant (radio)-chemotherapy was indicated in 89 patients, but only 49 % of these were treated. Five-year overall survival (OS) and relative overall survival were 41 and 54 %, respectively. Although disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly better for early stage colorectal cancer, OS did not differ significantly between stage I and stage III tumours. Young patients diagnosed before the age of 50 had a significantly lower DFS. These data were comparable with other European countries but were lower than data reported in the USA.
Discussion: The high rate of patients with stage IV colorectal cancer and the low proportion of patients receiving adjuvant (radio)-chemotherapy according to international or national consensus recommendations were disappointing. Although data were comparable with other European countries more efforts are necessary to establish effective screening programs for asymptomatic patients and to increase the willingness for standardised adjuvant treatment.