ABSTRACT
Colorectal cancer [CRC] is the third most important cause of cancer mortality overall, with similar number of deaths in both sexes. If it is detected early, it will be curable by surgery. Our aim is to assess the management of CRC in patients admitted to Algamhouria Teaching Hospital in Aden. Patients admitted with CRC, during the period June 12004 to December 31[st] 2006, were prospectively studied. Study variables included sex, age. type of admission, residency, special habits, socio-economic level of the patients, site of the tumor, clinical picture, type of surgical treatment and postoperative complication, as well as macro-and microscopic examination of the specimens. The total number of enrolled patients were 50, 54% of them [27] men and 46% [23] women. Overall mean age was 51.2 +/- 11.4 years [range 17-80 years] and higher frequency of CRC was in patients in the sixth decade [46%]. Elective admission was reported in 66% of them, and emergency in 34%. Most of the patients [98%] presented general weakness and signs of anemia. The frequent site of the tumor was rectum [42%], followed by left colon and sigmoid [34%]. Abdomino-perineal resection was performed in 36%, followed by left hemicolectomy in 32%. The most frequent post-operative complication was infection-in 12.24%. The most frequent macroscopic type of the tumor was fungating in 66%, whereas the microscopic pattern identified was adenocarcinoma in 94%. Lymph nodes were involved in 46% of cages, and liver metastases found in 8%. In our patients, CRC had been diagnosed very late. There should be high suspicious index for CRC in patients with bowel complains, especially in their 5[th] and 6[th] decades of their life