2004 to 2017 Saw Increase in Appendiceal Cancer

MONDAY, March 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Incidence of appendiceal cancer increased from 2004 to 2017, particularly in patients ≤49 years of age, according to a study published online March 17 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Michelle Salazar, M.D., from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues used the U.S. National Cancer Database to identify 387,867 adults diagnosed with a right-sided colon cancer (including appendiceal) from 2004 to 2017 who had undergone surgery.

The researchers found that over the study period, 19,570 patients were diagnosed with appendiceal cancers; 5,628 of these patients had a carcinoid tumor. Compared to other right-sided colon cancers, the odds of appendiceal cancer increased over time (odds ratio, 2.56). This increase was seen in all age groups, but more markedly increased in patients 40 to 49 years of age (10 to 18 percent). Versus other appendiceal histologies, odds of appendiceal carcinoid increased over time (odds ratio, 1.70), with the greatest increase in probability of a carcinoid seen among patients <40 years (24 to 45 percent).

“Increasing nonoperative management of acute appendicitis may result in delayed cancer diagnosis without close follow-up,” the authors write.

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