Colorectal cancer survival among Malaysia population: data from the Malaysian National Cancer Registry.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women in Malaysia and poses a major burden on society. Aims: To determine the overall survival rate of patients diagnosed with CRC and factors contributing to survival. Methods: Data were obtained from the Malaysia National Cancer Registry. All patients with CRC were identified, and a total of 15,515 patients were screened. A total of 5,675 CRC patients were included from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2016. Sex, age groups, ethnic groups, stage at diagnosis, cancer sites, and status of treatment received were analysed. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to estimate the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival of CRC. The log-rank test was conducted to compare the survival between sex, age groups, ethnic groups, stage at diagnosis, cancer sites, and status of treatment received. Multiple Cox regression was conducted to determine the risk of CRC death. Results: Of 5,675, a total of 2,055 had died, 3,534 were censored, and another 86 were still alive within 5 years of CRC diagnosis. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 68.5%, 34.7%, and 18.4%, respectively with a median survival time of 24 months. Significant differences in survival rates of CRC were observed between age groups ( Conclusion: In general, Malaysian patients with CRC had low survival rates. National health policies should focus on enhancing awareness of CRC, encouraging early screening, and developing strategies for early detection and management to reduce CRC-associated mortality.