Hospitalizations for Colorectal Cancer, 2006

March 2009
Hospitalizations for Colorectal Cancer, 2006
C. Allison Russo, M.P.H and Carol Stocks, R.N., M.H.S.A.

Introduction

In the United States, colorectal cancer (cancer of the large intestine or rectum) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women, and is also the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths.1 Unlike most cancers, colorectal cancer is considered preventable in many cases with screening and early detection.1 In 2008, an estimated 148,000 people were newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer.2 Though treatment for colorectal cancer may vary based on the stage of the cancer, many patients require inpatient or outpatient surgery, outpatient chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

This Statistical Brief presents data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on characteristics of hospital stays related to the treatment of colorectal cancer in 2006, including cancers of the colon, rectum, and anus. Characteristics of stays for colorectal cancer are compared to all non-maternal, non-neonatal hospitalizations. Differences by age, gender, payer, and region are also investigated for principal and secondary colorectal cancer diagnoses. Additionally, common principal diagnoses and procedures associated with colorectal cancer-related stays are outlined. All differences between estimates noted in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level or better.

Findings

In 2006, there were nearly 571,700 hospitalizations related to colorectal cancer in the U.S., a rate of 191.4 hospitalizations per 100,000 population. About one in four colorectal cancer-related stays had a principal diagnosis of colorectal cancer (50.8 stays per 100,000 population) and resulted in $2.6 billion in hospital costs. As a secondary diagnosis, there were about 419,800 hospitalizations (140.5 stays per 100,000 population).

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Statistical Brief #69