Evaluation of Clinical and Pathological Factors to Predict High Risk of Recurrence in Patients With Stage II Colon Cancer

The ability to predict patients with stage II colon cancer at high risk of recurrence is currently limited to certain clinicopathologic factors. This population-based study reviewed various prognostic factors to identify those associated with worse time to recurrence (TTR) and improved disease specific survival (DSS), and to subsequently develop a prognostic index (PI) to identify high risk cancers. Multivariate analyses revealed factors significant for TTR and DSS. A PI derived from the TTR risk factors identified 3 risk groups using 5-year rate without relapse: 88% for low-risk, 81% for intermediate-risk, and 59% for high-risk. This model was better at identifying high risk patients than using equally weighted standard risk factors.