No abstract

Worldwide, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most diagnosed cancer in female and the third in men, arising from the epithelium of the colorectum. It is known that colorectal cancer is common in developed countries than in developing countries which may be due to inaccurate data on the existence of the disease in that region combined with embracing western lifestyle expressed by the current trend of changes in cultural, social, and lifestyle practices playing a major part in the etiology of CRC. The aim of this study was to document epidemiological, pathological characteristics, and prognostics determinants of patients diagnosed with CRC in Rwanda. The data from patients’ files and reviewed glass slides for 101 cases all from Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK) were statistically analyzed and patient characteristics were described as mean and frequency accordingly. Comparisons were performed using chi square tests, Fisher’s exact test and odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI). Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method, and log-rank test was used to assess the statistical differences in the observed survival curves by each categorical variable. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS), GraphPad Prism, and MedCalc, accordingly. Mean age of the participants was 54.26 years, the main symptom was rectal bleeding (46.5%), rectal adenocarcinoma NOS represented 40.6%, conventional adenocarcinoma was 60.4%, most tumors were of Grade II (54.5%), most common stage was pT3N0 (20.8%), resection margins were free at 71.3%, lympho-vascular invasion was 49.5% of cases, a high immune response was in 71.3% of cases and of 101cases, and 55.4% were still alive at the end of the data collection, with 29.3% of patients have overall survival of 5 years. Prognostic determinants also affect the outcome in this study and overall survival period was 3 years for CRC diagnosed in Rwanda.

e16081 Background: There are few studies on CRC in sub-Saharan Africa. BCCOE in Rwanda provides patients with CRC access to chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy referrals. Here, we describe patient characteristics, treatments delivered and outcomes. Methods: This retrospective observational study included 136 patients with CRC who presented between July 2012 and June 2018. We abstracted patient characteristics, diagnostic and treatment data, and outcomes from electronic and paper records. We compared baseline and treatment characteristics for colon cancer (CC) versus (vs.) rectal cancer (RC) patients. For patients treated with curative intent, we plotted Kaplan Meier estimation of disease free survival (DFS), defined as time from presentation to cancer recurrence, progression or death. Log-rank test was used to examine subgroup differences. Results: The mean age was 52.5, and 71 (52.2%) were female. 101 (74.2%) patients had RC. Compared to CC, patients with RC were older 54.5 vs. 46.9 (p = 0.0084), and more likely female 59.4 vs. 31.4 (p = 0.0043). All provinces in Rwanda were represented including 14 (10.3%) from outside Rwanda; 79 (58.1%) patients lived in rural areas. Median duration of symptoms prior to presentation was 12 months, and 57 (41.9%) had used traditional medicine prior to presentation. 72 (52.9%) patients were non-metastatic, 46 (33.8%) de novo metastatic, 4 (2.9%) recurrent, and 14 (10.2%) had indeterminate stage. Of the patients treated with curative intent, 54 (65.1%) had neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant chemotherapy, while only 34 (41.0%) had curative surgery. 40 (48.2%) patients received a permanent colostomy. 18 (27.7%) patients with RC received concurrent chemoradiation. Over the follow up period, 49 (36%) patients died or were referred for end of life care, 13 (9.3%) remain in surveillance, while 65 (47.8%) were lost to follow up. Median DFS for patients with non-metastatic disease was 22.2 months. On exploratory analyses, there were no statistically significant differences in DFS by cancer type, gender, or performance status, though these analyses were underpowered and follow-up short. Conclusions: CRC treatment requires multidisciplinary care, which is a challenge in low-resource settings. Our results highlight gaps in CRC care delivery and suboptimal patient outcomes; most striking gaps were the low rates of surgery and radiation, and high loss to follow up rates. Rigorous research is needed to understand the underlying causes, and to develop interventions to address these gaps.

Stark disparities in cervical cancer mortality worldwide demand ongoing efforts to improve care.• Real world data evaluating cancer treatment and outcomes in low resource settings are critical.• "Temporizing" chemotherapy may mitigate the harms of long delays to radiotherapy.• Expanded, sustainable access to gynecologic oncology surgery and radiotherapy are urgently needed.