Colorectal Cancer Anatomical Site and Sleep Quality

Abstract

Purpose: Sleep quality in relation to anatomic site among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is not well understood, though discerning the relationship could contribute to improved survivorship care. Methods: We ascertained sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and other personal characteristics within an ongoing population-based study of CRC patients identified through a cancer registry (N = 1453). Differences in sleep quality by CRC site were analyzed using chi-square and ANOVA tests. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of tumor site with sleep quality concerns, adjusting for patient attributes and time since diagnosis. Results: Sleeping problems were reported by 70% of CRC patients. Overall, participants with rectal (vs. colon) cancer were more likely (OR (95% CI)) to report general trouble sleeping (1.58 (1.19, 2.10)). Rectal cancer patients were also more likely than colon cancer patients to report changes in sleep patterns after cancer diagnosis (1.38 (1.05, 1.80)), and trouble sleeping specifically due to getting up to use the bathroom (1.53 (1.20, 1.96)) or pain (1.58 (1.15, 2.17)), but were less likely to report trouble sleeping specifically due to issues with breathing/coughing/snoring (0.51 (0.27, 0.99)). Conclusion: Overall, rectal cancer patients were more likely to have sleep complications compared to colon cancer patients. This suggests sleep-focused survivorship care may be adapted according to CRC site to ensure patients receive appropriate support.

Colorectal cancer pre-diagnostic symptoms are associated with anatomic cancer site

“…The Puget Sound SEER collects information on all cancers from residents across 13 counties in western Washington state. Participants in this study were diagnosed with CRC from April 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 and were 20-74 years of age at the time of diagnosis [ 12 ]. Participants in the study were limited to those who were diagnosed with primary CRC.…”

“…Among those identified, 541 patients (23%) declined to enroll, 294 (13%) were lost to contact, and 56 (2%) were deceased. A total of 1,454 (62%) patients consented and were enrolled [ 12 ]. For this study, we excluded individuals for whom complete medical record abstraction was not available ( N = 749).…”

“…After questionnaire completion, participants could also provide written consent to release medical records to the study team for abstraction. All procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center [ 12 ].…”

Healthy Lifestyle and Quality of Life in Post-Operative Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Five-Month Observational Study

“…The outcomes of a long-term follow-up study (median of 8 years) of CRC patients ( n = 1575) highlighted that the hazard ratio and CRC-specific mortality of patients with a 5 g increase in daily fiber intake was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.65–0.93) and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.79–0.93), respectively [ 10 ]. Another study found that 70% of CRC patients ( n = 1453) reported sleep problems, which had a negative impact on health outcomes [ 11 ]. Wele et al [ 12 ] found that maintaining a normal body mass index (BMI), regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and minimizing alcohol and smoking slowed the progression of CRC.…”

Cancer Survivorship Issues: Dissemination and Translation of Evidence-Based Knowledge

“…Ton et al (2021) found that rectal cancer patients are more likely to have sleep complications compared to colon cancer patients. The authors suggest that sleep-focused survivorship care should be adapted according to the CRC site to ensure patients receive appropriate support [ 20 ]. Further, Roderburg et al (2021) evaluated the possibility of an association between cancer and dementia.…”