RESUMEN
Fifty-six patients with colorectal carcinoma were managed during the period January 1995 to July 1996 at Hayat Shaheed Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. The male to female ratio was 1.24:1 with a mean age of 45.64 years. A Large number of patients [28.57%] were in the younger age group i.e. = 40 years. Majority [78.57%] were admitted electively and 21.43% through casualty with acute abdomen. The salient features were altered bowel habits [85.75%] loss of weight [83.93%], pain abdomen [83.93%], rectal bleeding [66.0%], tenesmus with constipation [58.92%] and a palpaple abdominal mass [33.92%]. On digital rectal examination 37.71% of the total colorectal growths were palpable. Proctosigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy picked up 65.57% and 17.8% of the tumours respectively. The tumour commonly involved the rectum [53.57%] and caecum [17.86%]. All the left sided tumours were of the annular ulceroconst rictive type while the right sided tumours were mostly fungating cauliflower like. Majority [94.43%] of the tumours were adenocarcinomas; 10% well differentiated, 60% moderately differentiated and 30% undifferentiated. Modified Dukes staging revealed tumours in stage A-3.57%, B-39.28%, C-30.0% and D-28.75%. Digital rectal rectal examination and proctosigmoidoscopy were relatively noninvasive and cost effective diagnostic techniques. Colorectal carcinoma is not rare in Pakistan and the incidence is high in the younger age group. There is a need to find out preventable aetiological factors in our own set up