Background: The search for high-risk factors in stage II colon cancer (CC) is ongoing and several high-risk factors for stage II CC have been identified; however, the effects of tumour sidedness on prognosis are not clear. This study aims to determine whether tumour sidedness could be identified as another high-risk factor for stage II CC.
Methods: We retrospectively analysed 189 patients with stage II CC and compared clinicopathological findings and long-term outcomes between the patients with right colonic cancer (RCC) and with left colonic cancer (LCC). Prognostic factors for survival were determined using univariate and Cox proportional regression analyses.
Results: A total of 72 patients were diagnosed with RCC and 117 patients were diagnosed with LCC. Patients with RCC were significantly older (P < 0.001), and the number of harvested lymph nodes was greater in the RCC group (RCC: 25 versus LCC: 19; P = 0.003). The overall survival (OS) was worse in the RCC group than the OS in the LCC group (5-year survival rate - RCC: 81.3% versus LCC: 90.4%; P = 0.025). Cox proportional regression analysis showed that tumour sidedness was an independent prognostic factor for both OS (hazard ratio (HR) 3.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61-8.85, P = 0.022) and DFS (HR 2.58, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, P = 0.005).
Conclusion: Patients with RCC have more negative prognostic factors and worse long-term outcomes than those with LCC in stage II CC. Tumour sidedness is a high-risk factor in stage II CC patients.
Keywords: colon cancer; colorectal neoplasm; colorectal surgery; tumour sidedness.
© 2021 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.