Squamous cell carcinoma of the colon: evaluation of treatment modalities and survival.

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma of the colon (CSCC) is a rare subtype of colon cancer. This study aimed to evaluate treatment strategies and overall survival (OS). METHODS: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program database from 2008 to 2019, patients aged 18 years with CSCC were identified. Treatment strategies and OS were summarized using the Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression model ratios were calculated to evaluate the effect of confounding variables. RESULTS: After exclusions, 153 patients met the inclusion criteria. The most common treatment modalities included surgery alone (52.1%), surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy (12.9%), and no treatment (26.4%). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients who underwent surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy had significant improvements in OS (log-rank P = .002). Cox regression analysis revealed tumor grade (hazard ratio [HR], 2.12; 95% CI, 1.17-3.86) and receipt of chemotherapy (HR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.23-5.76) as the only factors associated with improvements in OS. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent surgery in combination with chemotherapy had better OS than those who underwent surgery alone. Tumor grade and receipt of chemotherapy were independently associated with OS.

Cancer Mortality Trends in Medically Underserved Counties in Virginia.

CONTEXT: Cancer mortality rates in the United States have improved during the past 40 years. The improvement in mortality rates is not equal for all types of cancer or all geographic locations, however. OBJECTIVE: To compare trends in cancer mortality rates in Virginia counties from 2005 through 2009. METHODS: Publicly available data from the National Cancer Institute, the State Cancer Profile, and the Virginia Department of Health were accessed for this analysis. For all counties in Virginia with all-cancer and lung cancer mortality data available, the authors compared counties considered medically underserved areas (VMUAs) with non-VMUAs to examine trends in cancer mortality rates that increased, remained stable, or decreased from 2005 through 2009. The significance level for all data was set at P≤.05. RESULTS: Of 136 counties in Virginia, 134 had all-cancer and 123 had lung cancer mortality data available. The VMUAs had a 48% lower decreasing all-cancer mortality rate than non-VMUAs (13 [26%] vs 37 [74%], respectively; P=.004). Non-VMUAs had a 33.3% higher stable all-cancer mortality rate than VMUAs (50 [66.6%] vs 25 [33.3%], respectively; P=.004) and a 55.2% higher lung cancer mortality rate (17 [22.4%] vs 59 [77.6%], respectively; P<.001). CONCLUSION: The all-cancer and lung cancer mortality rates were found to either remain stable or, in the case of all-cancer mortality, to increase in VMUAs.