The Mrisk-Covid study, carried out at Parc Taulí, reveals that among patients with colorectal cancer and Covid-19, 21% had the disease seriously, which occurred in 9,4% of the population. total that were infected or had symptoms compatible with SARS-Cov2. The analysis was carried out with a sample of more than 14.280 patients with Covid or suspected of having detected it between the end of February and mid-June 2020.
On World Colorectal Cancer Day, these results support the importance of early detection of this type of cancer and, therefore, the importance of participating in screening programs.
Suffering from colorectal cancer predisposes to a serious infection with Covid-19, according to the Mrisk-Covid study carried out by the Parc Taulí Hospital. According to this work on Chronic Multimorbidity and Covid-19, among patients with colorectal cancer and Covid-19, 21% passed the disease severely, which occurred in 9,4% of the total who were infected. or had symptoms compatible with SARS-Cov2.
The research was carried out analyzing the characteristics of more than 14.280 patients between the ages of 21 and 95 who tested positive for Covid or were suspected of suffering from the disease between February 27 and 15 June 2020, residents in the reference area of Parc Taulí. The sample includes both patients who evolved favorably and those who had an evolution that led them to suffer serious respiratory problems (respiratory failure, inflammatory responses and / or need for mechanical ventilation, oxygen therapy, etc.), multiorgan failure, admission in the ICU or who ultimately did not overcome the disease.
Among all patients analyzed, 21% of patients suffering from colorectal cancer and were infected with SARS-Cov2 Covid developed severe Covid, which in the remaining patients occurred in 9,4% of cases.
Dra. Marisa Baré, specialist in Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Coordinator of the Cancer Screening Office of Parc Taulí and principal investigator of the study, explains that “we have analyzed many patients trying to find what chronic conditions or other factors such as age , sex, socioeconomic level, etc. of the person may be associated with severe Covid-19 development. Thus, we detected that the 236 patients with cancer of the large intestine, ie, colon, rectum, or colorectal, who also suffered from covid-19 during the first wave, evolved more frequently in severe form. this was not the case with patients with other neoplasms. ”
Importance of early detection
The results of this work reaffirm the importance of early detection of colorectal cancer. In this sense, participating in current disease screening programs is one of the safest formulas to have an early diagnosis that allows the tumor to be treated in time and increase the chances of cure. Thus, Dra. Baré calls on the population to participate when the invitation is received because “it allows us to catch the tumor before it has spread. Generally, we find tumors at an early stage, but unfortunately we also detect patients with metastases to lymph nodes or other organs, especially in people who had never participated in previous invitations. Currently, in Spain, five-year survival stands at 64%, above the European average of 57%.
In the last screening carried out in the Vallès Occidental, which includes the area of influence of the Parc Taulí, 80.171 people took part and 5,2% of positive cases were detected (with loss of hidden blood in the hospital) and 138 cancers colorectals. The participation and probably the number of cancers detected early, has been seen to have decreased due to the pandemic. The confinement suffered during the second quarter of last year and perhaps the fear of contacting the health system again or other factors have dropped the participation by 4% in some territories.
Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer in Spain, where almost 45.000 new cases are diagnosed annually. It is a disease that is estimated to affect one in 20 men and one in 30 women before the age of 75.
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