Senior Citizens Dominate Colorectal Cancer
Hospitalizations: Near 70 Percent, Mostly Men
Males hospitalized in 2006 less frequently
than females, however, men in older age groups had a much higher rate of
hospitalization than women
Chart shows colorectal
cancer hospitalizations 2006 by age group. Click to larger view.
March 23, 2009 - Two-thirds of hospital stays for
colorectal cancer involve Americans age 65 and older, and most in 2006
were men, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
In the United States, colorectal cancer (cancer of the large intestine
or rectum) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and
women, and is also the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
Unlike most cancers, colorectal cancer is
considered preventable in many cases with screening and early
detection.1 In 2008, an estimated 148,000 people were newly diagnosed
with colorectal cancer.
Cancer's precursor polyps, known as adenoma, sharply
increase after age 50
Below
story see...
>Medicare's coverage of tests for colorectal cancer.
>More about colon cancer.
Sept. 3, 2008 People over age 50, who are still
wrestling with the decision of whether they should have a colonoscopy,
received another wake-up call this week from a study detailing the rapid
increase of polyps the precursor of virtually all colorectal cancers
that begin to occur at that age.
Read more...
Overall, males were hospitalized less frequently
than females for colorectal cancer. Males accounted for 49.5 percent of
stays principally for colorectal cancer and 48.6 percent of stays with a
secondary colorectal cancer diagnosis.
However, males in older age groups had a much
higher rate of hospitalization than females. In fact, males over the age
of 65 had the highest rates of hospitalization among all colorectal
cancer patients, with 281.4 stays per 100,000 population for principal
colorectal cancer hospitalizations (20 percent higher than females in
the same age group) and 920.4 stays per 100,000 population for stays
with a secondary colorectal cancer diagnosis (24 percent higher than
females in the same age group).
Rate highest among
men 65 up
Rates much higher
in Northeast
Click images above
for larger view
AHRQs analysis also shows when older patients with
colorectal cancer are hospitalized not specifically for treating their
cancer; admission is often for complications, such as intestinal
blockage or pneumonia.
The colon and rectum make up the lower part of the
part of the digestive system and remove water from digested food. Cancer
of the colon and rectum are frequently reported together as colorectal
cancer -- the third most common type of cancer in the U.S. for both men
and women.
This Statistical Brief presents data from the
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on characteristics of
hospital stays related to the treatment of colorectal cancer in 2006,
including cancers of the colon, rectum, and anus.
Highlights
● There were nearly 571,700 hospitalizations
related to colorectal cancer in 2006, or nearly 191.4 per 100,000
population.
● About 4.5 percent - 6,800 - of the patients who
were admitted for colon cancer died while hospitalized - a rate much
higher than the 2.6 percent overall death rate for the approximately 30
million hospital stays for all conditions that year.
● Between 1995 and 2006, the rate of
hospitalizations with a principal diagnosis of colorectal cancer
decreased by 15 percent, but hospitalizations listing colorectal cancer
as a secondary diagnosis increased 15 percent.
● Treatment of colon cancer as a primary reason
for admission accounted for about 152,000 hospitalizations in one year.
About 420,000 additional hospitalizations were for colon cancer
complications, such as pneumonia.
● The rate of colorectal cancer-related
hospitalization is dramatically higher among patients 65 years and
older; men over 65 had the highest rates of hospitalization for
colorectal cancer.
● The Northeast had the highest rates of
hospitalizations with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
● More than one-third of all colorectal
cancer-related hospitalizations had some form of cancer or cancer
therapy as the principal reason for admission. The remaining cases were
admitted for treatment of conditions that are likely caused by cancer
and its treatment - intestinal obstruction, pneumonia, sepsis, and
complications of medical care.
Because so many of the colorectal cancer patients
are senior citizens, it is not surprising that Medicare was the most
common primary payer for hospitalizations involving colorectal cancer,
accounting for 59.1 percent of stays principally for colorectal cancer
and 71.5 percent of hospitalizations with a secondary diagnosis of
colorectal cancer.
Information Source:
This AHRQ News and Numbers is based on data in
Hospitalizations for Colorectal Cancer, 2006. The report uses
statistics from the 2006 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of
hospital inpatient stays that is nationally representative of inpatient
stays in all short-term, non-Federal hospitals. The data are drawn from
hospitals that comprise 90 percent of all discharges in the United
States and include all patients, regardless of insurance type, as well
as the uninsured.
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