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Purpose The Spanish Early-onset Colorectal Cancer (SECOC) study is a multicentre prospective cohort established in Spain to investigate the molecular basis of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), including metabolic alterations.Participants 220 patients with EOCRC have been enrolled since January 2019 through 18 centres across Spain. Individual-level data were collected by questionnaire, including lifestyle and other colorectal cancer-related factors. Medical record review was performed to capture clinical, histopathological and familial cancer history data. Biospecimen collection (blood, stool, tissue) at diagnosis and at various time points across treatment, as applicable, is also completed.Findings to date Participants had a median age of 44 years (range 14–49), and the majority are men (60%), with individuals age 40–49 years at EOCRC diagnosis being over-represented. Forty-three per cent of participants were diagnosed with a tumour in the rectosigmoid junction/rectum. Nearly two-thirds of EOCRC cases (64%) were diagnosed with advanced stage (III–IV) disease, and 28% of cases had no reported familial history of cancer.Future plans We are actively recruiting and observing participants; we plan to administer follow-up questionnaires and perform additional biospecimen collection. This prospective cohort offers a unique, rich resource for research on EOCRC aetiologies and will contribute to larger international efforts to disentangle the rising disease burden.

Introduction The evidence currently available from enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programmes concerns their benefits in the immediate postoperative period, but there is still very little evidence as to whether their correct implementation benefits patients in the long term. The working hypothesis here is that, due to the lower response to surgical aggression and lower rates of postoperative complications, ERAS protocols can reduce colorectal cancer-related mortality. The main objective of this study is to analyse the impact of an ERAS programme for colorectal cancer on 5-year survival. As secondary objectives, we propose to analyse the weight of each of the predefined items in the oncological results as well as the quality of life.Methods and analysis A multicentre prospective cohort study was conducted in patients older than 18 years of age who are scheduled to undergo surgery for colorectal cancer. The study involved 12 hospitals with an implemented enhanced recovery protocol according to the guidelines published by the Spanish National Health Service. The intervention group includes patients with a minimum implementation level of 70%, and the control group includes those who fail to reach this level. Compliance will be studied using 18 key performance indicators, and the results will be analysed using cancer survival indicators, including overall survival, cancer-specific survival and relapse-free survival. The time to recurrence, perioperative morbidity and mortality, hospital stay and quality of life will also be studied, the latter using the validated EuroQol Five questionnaire. The propensity index method will be used to create comparable treatment and control groups, and a multivariate regression will be used to study each variable. The Kaplan-Meier estimator will be used to estimate survival and the log-rank test to make comparisons. A p value of less than 0.05 (two-tailed) will be considered to be significant.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Aragon Ethical Committee (C.P.-C.I. PI20/086) on 4 March 2020. The findings of this study will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals (BMJ Open, JAMA Surgery, Annals of Surgery, British Journal of Surgery). Abstracts will be submitted to relevant national and international meetings.Trial registration number NCT04305314.