Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) researchers have developed an accurate, individualized post-operative survival calculator and integrated the technology into a mobile application compatible with smartphone technology for oncologists and patients diagnosed with colon cancer. Information about the calculator will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 51st Annual Meeting in Chicago.
"An accurate estimate of survival after surgery is important for patients with stage II or stage III colon cancer to know," said the study's first author, Emmanuel Gabriel, MD, a Fellow in the Department of Surgical Oncology at Roswell Park. "Our goal is to use this calculator with real-time clinical care for patients and thus continue to validate its accuracy and gauge its utility."
Dr. Gabriel and colleagues used the National Cancer Database to analyze 16 patient-specific demographics, tumor and treatment-related variables and their impact on survival among 230,520 colon cancer patients who received treatment from 2004 to 2006. Statistical regression was applied to create a prediction model that was then internally validated using the Database. The prediction model was translated into a mobile application.
They developed the calculator to provide oncologists and patients with an individualized five-year estimate of overall survival using a point-of-care, user-friendly medium. The calculator also provides information about the potential impact of chemotherapy on overall survival.
"Our post-operative survival calculator is unique in that it was constructed from a large nationwide cancer database and incorporates large data across a variety of settings. The calculator can be specific to an individual or applicable to the population as a whole. The tool incorporates specific tumor characteristics and factors known to impact patient survival, including underlying illnesses and complications from surgery," says senior author Steven Nurkin, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology in the Department of Surgical Oncology at Roswell Park.
The study, "Predicting individualized post-operative survival for stage II/III colon cancer using a new mobile application derived from the National Cancer Database," is abstract 3556 and will be presented on board no. 48 during the Gastrointestinal (Colorectal) poster session on Monday, June 1, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CDT in McCormick Place, S Hall A.
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