ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE:

Colorectal cancer (CRC) in young patients have an incidence of 2-8% in all cases. CRC at this group of patients has been detected at advanced stage, has an high ratio of musinous tumor and has a worse prognosis. In this study, the clinic and pathologic features of patients aged 30 years or younger and treated for CRC were evaluated retrospectively.

METHODS:

A total of 1179 patients who were treated for CRC between January 1994 and May 2009 and were recorded to our CRC Database, were investigated retrospectively and inside of this database 33 patients aged 30 years or younger were evaluated. Patients age, gender, date of the beginning of symptoms, date of the diagnosis, tumor localization, type of operation and pathological characteristics were recorded.

RESULTS:

The ratio of CRC patients aged 30 years or younger was 2,7% (33 patients) of all cases. The median age of these patients was 26,3±3,2 years and 31 of them ( 93,9%) were male. Distrubition of left-side and rectal tumors account for 66,7% whereas right-side tumors account for 27,3%. Approximately half of the patients (48,5%) was at stage III. The ratio of musinous tumor was 51,5% and poorly differentiated tumor was 48,5%. Radical resection was possible at 90,9% of patients. When emergency operated 9 patients removed, the delay at diagnosis determined as 113,7±151 days.

CONCLUSION:

Poorly diferantiated and musinous tumor rates are higher, CRC usually diagnosed at more advanced stage and time between the beginning of symptoms and the diagnose is prolonged at young patients.