Table 3 Multivariate adjusted Cox proportional hazard models of the relationship of 5-year overall mortality with time from symptom onset to diagnosis and other factors in patients with cancer of the colon or rectum, colon alone, and rectum alone

HR 95% CI

HR 95% CI

HR 95% CI

Total diagnostic lag time (quartiles)

  1st quartile (< = 1.9 months)

1

1

1

  2nd quartile (1.9–4.2 months)

1.24 (0.80–1.94)

1.10 (0.60–2.04)

1.80 (0.89–3.65)

  3rd quartile (4.2–8.4 months)

0.80 (0.48–1.34)

1.06 (0.54–2.07)

0.63 (0.27–1.49)

  4rd quartile (> 8.4 months)

1.01 (0.62–1.66)

1.09 (0.55–2.16)

1.42 (0.65–3.11)

Age median (IQR) years

1.03 (1.02–1.06)

1.04 (1.01–1.06)

1.05 (1.02–1.09)

Sex

  Men

1

1

1

  Women

0.73 (0.50–1.05)

0.67 (0.42–1.08)

0.67 (0.35–1.29)

Localization

  Colon

1

  Rectum

1.44 (0.92–2.26)

-

-

Tumor grade

  Grade I

1

1

1

  Grade II

1.52 (0.96–2.42)

1.30 (0.72–2.33)

2.86 (1.23–6.67)

  Grade III/IV

2.38 (1.20–4.62)

1.44 (0.60–3.43)

7.61 (2.47–23.33)

  Ungraded

1.19 (0.43–3.29)

0.63 (0.08–4.96)

3.34 (0.82–13.70)

Intestinal obstruction

  No

1

1

1

  Yes

1.78 (1.11–2.84)

1.32 (0.77–2.27)

14.61 (4.76–44.84)

Emergency presentation

  No

1

1

1

  Yes

1.44 (0.99–2.08)

1.54 (0.93–2.56)

1.66 (0.91–3.03)

Charlson index

  Median (IQR)

1.15 (1.01–1.33)

1.12 (0.93–1.36)

1.34 (1.05–1.71)

Rectal bleeding

  No

1

1

1

  Yes

0.74 (0.50–1.11)

0.52 (0.28–0.97)

1.26 (0.70–2.24)

Treatment

Surgery

  Curative Resection

1

1

1

  Palliative Resection

4.54 (2.83–7.29)

3.91 (2.06–7.41)

6.58 (2.84–15.23)

Oncological treatment

  No

1

1

1

  Chemotherapy

2.01 (1.26–3.20)

1.87 (1.07–3.28)

2.34 (0.90–6.07)

  Chemotherapy/Radiotherapy

1.68 (0.92–3.07)

-

2.99 (1.27–7.04)