Clinical profile and anatomical distribution of colorectal cancer amongst patients undergoing colonoscopy. a five year retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the major cancers in the developed world causing signicant morbidity and mortality. Most colorectal cancers are due to old age and lifestyle factors, with only a small number of cases due to underlying genetic disorders. Arecent study had shown a rising incidence of CRC in patients younger than 50 years of age. The incidence of CRC is on the rise in India due to sedentary life style and westernization of the diet. Aim of the study -To determine the clinical prole and anatomical distribution of colorectal cancer at a tertiary care center in south India. METHODS: Retrospective descriptive analysis of anatomical distribution, age at diagnosis and demography of CRC diagnosed by colonoscopy and biopsy over a period of ve years at a teaching hospital in southern India. RESULTS:Total numbers of patients presented with colorectal cancer were 238, with M: F 1.3:1.The mean age at diagnosis was 54.55 years (SD 14.12; range 19–89 years). Thirty eight (15.9%) cases were below the age of 40 years. The majority (58.3%) cases were aged between 51–70 years. Most of the tumors (N= 187 78.5%) were located distal to the splenic exure. CONCLUSION: Almost half of the colorectal cancers in this series occurred in the fth and sixth decades of life and most of them were located distal to the splenic exure. There is an impending rise in CRC burden in younger adults