8th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Presenter(s): Dannielle Mercado
Title: An Investigation of the Association between Patient Age and Colon Cancer Stage at Diagnosis
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Charles Carter , Clinical Research

There is a reported increase in colon cancer among individuals less than 50 years of age in the US. This population is outside the typical screening guidelines. Using data obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute, we studied 136,420 colon cancer patients. Our objectives were to determine the association between age and colon cancer stage at diagnosis; and age and 5-year survival rates at time of diagnosis. Our results demonstrated individuals less than 50 years of age are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stages of colon cancer and stages with lower 5-year survival rates.