• Kristie Weir, Rajah Supramaniam, Alison Gibberd, Anthony Dillon, Bruce K Armstrong, and Dianne L O'Connell.
• University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW rajahs@nswcc.org.au.
• Med. J. Aust. 2016 Mar 7; 204 (4): 156156.

ObjectivesOur aim was to compare surgical treatment rates and survival rates for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in New South Wales with colorectal cancer, and to describe the medical treatment received by a sample of Aboriginal people with colorectal cancer.Design, Setting And ParticipantsAll people diagnosed with colorectal cancer in NSW during 2001-2007 were identified and their cancer registry records linked to hospital admissions data and death records. A medical records audit of a sample of Aboriginal people diagnosed with colorectal cancer during 2000-2011 was also conducted.Main Outcome MeasuresCause-specific survival, odds of surgical treatment, and the proportions of people receiving adjuvant treatments.ResultsOf 29 777 eligible colorectal cancer cases, 278 (0.9%) involved Aboriginal people. Similar proportions of Aboriginal (76%) and non-Aboriginal (79%) people had undergone surgical treatment. Colorectal cancer-specific survival was similar for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people up to 18 months after diagnosis, but 5 years post-diagnosis the risk of death for Aboriginal people who had had surgical treatment was 68% higher than for non-Aboriginal people (adjusted hazards ratio, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.32-2.09). Of 145 Aboriginal people with colorectal cancer identified by the medical records audit, 117 (81%) had undergone surgery, and 56 (48%) had also received adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.ConclusionsAboriginal people with colorectal cancer had poorer survival rates than non-Aboriginal people, although rates of surgical treatment, complications and follow-up colonoscopy were similar. More work is needed to identify and understand why outcomes for Aboriginal people with colorectal cancer are different from those of other New South Wales residents.

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