Effect of peri-operative blood transfusions on long-term prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND

Patients with colorectal cancer often present with anaemia and require red blood cell transfusions (RBCT) during their peri-operative course. Evidence suggests a significant association between RBCT and poor long-term outcomes in surgical patients, but the findings in colorectal cancer are contradictory.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The aim of this retrospective, single-centre, cohort study was to investigate the prognostic role of peri-operative RBCT in a large cohort of patients with stage I-III colorectal cancer submitted to curative surgery between 2005 and 2017. The propensity score matching technique was applied to adjust for potential confounding factors.

RESULTS

Among 1,414 patients operated within the study period, 895 fulfilled the inclusion criteria: 29.6% (n=265) received peri-operative RBCT. The group that received peri-operative RBCT was significantly older (p<0.001), had more comorbidities (p<0.001), more advanced tumours (p<0.001) and more colon tumours (p=0.002) and stayed in hospital longer (p<0.001). Post-operative mortality was 7-fold higher (2.3 vs 0.3%, p=0.01) in this group. Survival outcomes were significantly worse in the group receiving RBCT than in the group not receiving RBCT for both overall (64.5 vs 80.1%, p<0.001) and cancer-specific survival (74.3 vs 85.1%, p<0.001). On multivariable analysis, peri-operative RBCT was significantly associated with poorer overall survival (hazard ratio 1.51, p=0.009). When transfused and non-transfused cases were paired through the propensity score matching technique considering main clinico-pathological features, no differences in overall and cancer-specific survival were found.

DISCUSSION

Our data suggest that, after adjustment for potential confounding factors, no significant association exists between RBCT and prognosis in colorectal cancer.