Background and Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly prevalent malignancy leading to death across the world. However, patient survival is greatly affected following a diagnosis of diabetes. The purpose of this research was to study the correlation between diabetes and controlling risk factors with the survival rate of colorectal cancer patients.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective follow‐up study was done on 356 patients with colorectal cancer, who had been diagnosed during 1999-2013. Notably, the patients were selected using systematic random sampling. The patients were allocated into two groups according to the history of diabetes and its absence. The survival rate of the patients was assessed during the follow-up period up to 2018.
Results: In colorectal cancer patients, the diabetes prevalence was 11%. The mean survival rate in patients with CRC and non-colorectal non-diabetic was 5.541±0.227 years and in diabetic patients was 0.508 ±5.246 years. No significant difference was apperceived in the survival rate of the diabetic and non-diabetic patients (P = 0.57). The risk of mortality in patients with CRC who were not treated with insulin increased and their survival decreased (P= 0.05). In metastatic stage of lymph nodes, it was 0.314 higher in patients with the metastasis to distant regions (P = 0.000).
Conclusion: Based on the results, training diabetic patients regarding effective therapies in controlling risk factors, hyperglycemia, and screening for rapid diagnosis of CRC are essential to improve health and increase survival rate in diabetic patients.