Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Vasileios Margaritis

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common diagnosed cancer in both women and men in the United States. The gradual increase of incidence of second primary cancer (SPC) among CRC individuals has been a concern in recent times. Many CRC survivals have been forced back to be hospitalized for life-threatening cancers that are nonmetastatic cancers of CRC. Literature has suggested that there may be a relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and CRC cases. The importance of early surveillance, detection, and treatment of SPC in CRC patients is significant to achieve better survival rates. The aim of this retrospective quantitative study was to investigate the association between MetS and its components (hypertension, obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia) and SPC among CRC patients, controlled for gender, age, and race/ethnicity. Social cognitive theory was the theoretical framework of the study. The 2011-2013 SEER-Medicare secondary data were used for this study and included 4,217 CRC patients. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to address this study’s aim. Results revealed that CRC patients who were aged 65 to 75 years (OR = 2.9, 95% CI: 2.2-3.8) and obese (OR = 6.5, 95% CI: 5.2-8.3) had significantly more odds to develop SPC. This study promotes positive social change by enhancing clinicians’ and public health policy makers’ understanding of the relationship between age, obesity-induced MetS, and SPC in CRC patients. This study can also highlight the need for the early introduction of a surveillance program for the detection of SPC in CRC survivors by health care and public health professionals, and it demonstrates the importance of early intervention in mitigating SPC morbidity and mortality rates.

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