Grant: Project Grant

Early age-at-onset colorectal cancer (eoCRC) among adults under the age of 50 is increasing in Canada. EoCRC has considerable impacts on the health of Canadians in terms of the potential years of life lost and the impacts on Canadian families. On average, eoCRC cases are diagnosed at later stages and with different negative tumor characteristics leading to poor clinical outcomes. Despite the increasing incidence, eoCRCs still represent a minority of CRCs diagnosed in Western countries and consequently they are under-represented in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of novel cancer therapies. At present, the best approaches to treat eoCRC patients remain unclear with minimal data to support treatment decisions in the clinic. Clinicians and patients are often faced with a challenging conundrum - to treat very aggressively in hopes of maximizing the potential life years ahead, or to attempt to minimize the consequences of treatment-related effects on other health outcomes unique to younger populations (e.g. reproduction, sexuality, family, work, etc.). The overall goal of this proposed research project is to understand and patient outcomes for eoCRC patients in Canada. Using readily available population-based administrative data in Alberta, this project aims to understand how early and late stage eoCRC patients are currently being treated, to determine the effectiveness of different treatment strategies for eoCRC patients, and to develop tools to help guide the of treatment based on individual patient characteristics. Clinician and patient input will be gathered through focus groups and will guide analytical decision making to ensure the greatest clinical impact of this research.