Abstract
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the main causes of cancer-related mortality. The surgical resection of primary CRC tumors is a critical line of treatment. The present study investigated the clinical outcomes of the surgical resection of the primary tumor in metastatic CRC patients.
Materials and Methods: In this prospective and retrospective study, 81 metastatic CRC patients were recruited at Hiwa Cancer Hospital in Sulaimani, Iraq from January 2016 to December 2019. Forty-one patients underwent surgical resection of their primary tumor while the remaining 40 patients did not undergo resection. Data regarding patients’ clinical outcomes were obtained from the clinical portal system of the hospital and were analyzed using SPSS (version 23.0).
Results: The patients’ mean (± SD) age was 53.5 (± 17.02) years and the male-to-female ratio was 1.3:1. Patients undergoing the surgical resection of their primary tumors had a significantly better one-year survival compared to those who did not undergo resection (P = 0.04). Based on the results, patients in the surgical resection group continued to have a better overall survival although it was not statistically significant (P = 0.1). Significantly more patients with colon cancer underwent surgical resection compared to rectal cancer (P = 0.03), and smoking habit negatively affected the chance to undergo surgical resection (P = 0.009).
Conclusion: In general, the surgical resection of the primary tumor has a significant favorable impact on one-year survival, but possibly not on overall survival. The primary site of the tumor and smoking habits significantly influence the chance to undergo surgical resection whereas the grade of the tumor or the type of systemic therapy has no significant impact in this regard.