Colorectal cancer survival in Mexico: Leveraging a national health insurance database

Purpose: We estimated the 5-year overall, age at diagnosis- and stage-specific colorectal cancer survival in patients treated through their coverage with Seguro Popular.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using a dataset that included 1418 colorectal cancer patients covered by Seguro Popular (Mexico's public health insurance system covering 60 % of the population) between 2013 and 2016. Deaths were identified using the Epidemiologic Death Statistics Subsystem registry, with a specialized algorithm for record linkage. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival curves and the proportion of patients alive at various follow-up time points. We compared survival curves across subgroups using the log-rank test.

Results: In this study the average age at diagnosis was 56 years with 31.9 % of patients diagnosed before the age of 50. Most cases (78.1 %) were diagnosed in advanced stages (i.e., III and IV), with nearly half of the cases originating in the rectum. The overall 5-year survival was 50 %, with higher survival (74 %) for patients with stage I-II and lower survival for those with stage III (58 %) and IV (33 %). While age at diagnosis was not associated with survival for early-stage colorectal cancer, younger patients with metastatic disease had a worse prognosis compared to older patients.

Conclusion: The 5-year overall colorectal cancer survival was 50 %, with variation by clinical stage. Almost 80 % of the population was diagnosed with advanced stages, underscoring the need for screening programs. Younger patients with metastatic disease exhibited a worse prognosis, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.