EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND ANALYSIS OF THE TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN SURGICAL AND SYSTEMIC TREATMENTS IN PATIENTS WITH COLON TUMORS IN A PUBLIC HOSPITAL IN MINAS GERAIS: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is the third isolated cause of new oncological diagnoses in the world, representing 10% of new cases, according to Globocan data(2021). In Brazil, it is the second most prevalent tumor, being the second cause of cancer-related death. In 2020, more than 40,000 new cases were diagnosed. Current clinical practice guidelines recommend adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical resection as standard treatment for patients with clinical stage (CE) II with high-risk factors and EC III. Due to the high prevalence and high mortality rates, it is important to recognize and identify factors related to treatments in these groups of patients. Delay in starting adjuvant therapy is associated with a significant impairment in overall survival. Objectives: (i) to assess the epidemiological profile of patients with indications of adjuvant treatment for colon tumors treated at one of the largest public oncology services in Minas Gerais and (ii) to identify the time between surgeries and the beginning of systemic treatment. Methods: This is a retrospective and observational study, based on medical records review of patients diagnosed with EC II colon cancer with high-risk criteria and EC III attended between March 2019 and March 2022 at the Instituto de Oncologia da Santa Casa from Belo Horizonte. Preliminary Results: The population included 130 patients, with a mean age of 62.6 years, most of them women (62.3%), 35% with high school or higher education, and 55.4% residing in Belo Horizonte. Most patients (69.2%) had some comorbidity, and 80% had a performance status of 0 or 1. The time interval between the surgery and the first oncology consultation was 56.7 days and the time between the request and the beginning of the treatment was 24.6 days. Conclusions: The mean time between surgery and the start of systemic treatment was 11.6 weeks, exceeding the time of 6 to 8 weeks recommended by the literature guidelines. This delay might be related to the Covid-19 pandemic, as the data collected included the years 2020-2022.