Chen Y et al. -It was hypothesized that the presence of pre-existing dementia is associated with worse survival for stage III colon cancer patients. In the current study, pre-existing dementia was shown to be significantly associated with worse survival for stage III colon cancer patients.

Methods

• Dementia was defined by a formal diagnosis or a prescription for dementia drugs or both before the diagnosis of cancer.

Results

• 4573 patients diagnosed with stage III colon cancer were studied.
• A pre-existing diagnosis of dementia significantly increased the risk of death (HR = 1.45).
• Patients with a diagnosis of dementia or a related prescription had significantly lower cause-specific survival than their healthy counterparts.
• The dementia effect was mediated by chemotherapy (13%).