The role of diabetes and other co-morbidities on survival after esophageal cancer surgery in a population-based study

BackgroundThere is limited knowledge on how diabetes and other comorbidities influence the survival of patients undergoing curative esophageal cancer surgery.MethodsA population-based and prospective cohort study included patients who underwent surgical resection for esophageal or cardia cancer in Sweden from 2001 to 2005, with follow-up until 2011. Associations between diabetes and other comorbidities in relation to postoperative mortality were analyzed using Cox proportional-hazards regression with adjustment for potential confounding factors.ResultsAmong 609 patients, 67 (11%) with diabetes had no increased risk for mortality compared with those without diabetes (hazard ratio, .81; 95% confidence interval, .60 to 1.09). Compared with patients without any predefined comorbidities, those with 1 (hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, .93 to 1.43) or ≥2 comorbidities (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, .83 to 1.33) had no statistically significantly increased risk for mortality.ConclusionsThis study revealed no strongly increased risk for mortality in patients with diabetes or other comorbidities selected for esophageal cancer surgery.