Clinical characteristics, medical service utilization, and expenditure for colorectal cancer in China, 2005 to 2014: Overall design and results from a multicenter retrospective epidemiologic survey

• Published in: Cancer 2021-06, Vol.127 (11), p.1880-1893
• Main Authors: Shi, Ju‐Fang, Wang, Le, Ran, Jian‐Chao, Wang, Hong, Liu, Cheng‐Cheng, Zhang, Hai‐Zeng, Yang, Lin, Shi, Su‐Sheng, Jiang, Li‐Ming, Fan, Jin‐Hu, Zhang, Yue‐Ming, Wang, Wei‐Hu, Ren, Jian‐Song, Zhu, Lin, Zheng, Zhao‐Xu, Sun, Yong‐Kun, Zou, Shuang‐Mei, Jiang, Jun, Chen, Bo, Chen, Hong‐Da, Liu, Guo‐Xiang, Yang, Li, Huang, Yun‐Chao, Guo, Lan‐Wei, Wang, De‐Bin, Zhang, Yong‐Zhen, Mao, A‐Yan, Wang, Jia‐Lin, Gong, Ji‐Yong, Wei, Dong‐Hua, Qiu, Wu‐Qi, Song, Bing‐Bing, Zhang, Kai, Li, Ni, Feletto, Eleonora, Lew, Jie‐Bin, Qiao, You‐Lin, Chen, Wan‐Qing, Dai, Min, He, Jie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; China; China - epidemiology; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; colorectal neoplasms; Colorectal Neoplasms - economics; Colorectal Neoplasms - epidemiology; Colorectal Neoplasms - therapy; Computed tomography; Diagnostic systems; Epidemiology; Expenditures; Facilities and Services Utilization - economics; Facilities and Services Utilization - statistics & numerical data; Female; health expenditures; Health Expenditures - statistics & numerical data; Health services; Humans; Magnetic resonance imaging; Male; Medical records; Middle Aged; Oncology; Patients; Rectum; Retrospective Studies; Surgery; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.33445

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in China, however, publicly available, descriptive information on the clinical epidemiology of CRC is limited. Methods Patients diagnosed with primary CRC during 2005 through 2014 were sampled from 13 tertiary hospitals in 9 provinces across China. Data related to sociodemographic characteristics, the use of diagnostic technology, treatment adoption, and expenditure were extracted from individual medical records. Results In the full cohort of 8465 patients, the mean ± SD age at diagnosis was 59.3 ± 12.8 years, 57.2% were men, and 58.7% had rectal cancer. On average, 14.4% of patients were diagnosed with stage IV disease, and this proportion increased from 13.5% in 2005 to 20.5% in 2014 (P value for trend < .05). For diagnostic techniques, along with less use of x‐rays (average, 81.6%; decreased from 90.0% to 65.7%), there were increases in the use of computed tomography (average, 70.4%; increased from 4.5% to 90.5%) and magnetic resonance imaging (average, 8.8%; increased from 0.1% to 20.4%) over the study period from 2005 to 2014. With regard to treatment, surgery alone was the most common (average, 50.1%), but its use decreased from 51.3% to 39.8% during 2005 through 2014; and the use of other treatments increased simultaneously, such as chemotherapy alone (average, 4.1%; increased from 4.1% to 11.9%). The average medical expenditure per patient was 66,291 Chinese Yuan (2014 value) and increased from 47,259 to 86,709 Chinese Yuan. Conclusions The increasing proportion of late‐stage diagnoses presents a challenge for CRC control in China. Changes in diagnostic and treatment options and increased expenditures are clearly illustrated in this study. Coupled with the recent introduction of screening initiatives, these data provide an understanding of changes over time and may form a benchmark for future related evaluations of CRC interventions in China. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in China; however, there is limited publicly available descriptive information on the clinical epidemiology of CRC. The findings of this multicenter, retrospective epidemiologic survey provide an understanding of change over time and form the benchmark for future related evaluations of CRC interventions in China.