RESUMO
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality and represents a major public health problem in developed countries. The objective of present investigation was to determine the epidemiologic aspects and clinical characteristics of colorectal cancer in Shiraz, southern Iran. This was a retrospective study carried out during 2000-2005, and comprised 491 subjects with pathologically documented colorectal cancer. They were registered in Fars Cancer Registry, affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, southern Iran. A questionnaire including data on demographic information, histological types of cancer, site of primary cancer and metastasis were completed by trained interviewers. Among 491 subjects, 57.2% were male and the most common age was 65-75 years. Patients under 45 years of age represented 22.8% of all colorectal cancer cases while 32% were over 65 years old. Those with a history of cancer in their first-degree relatives included 26.9% of the patients. Adenocarcinoma was the most common reported histological type of cancer [96.1%]. Among all subjects, 60.7% suffered from abdominal pain, 28.4% abdominal distention and 28.0% rectal bleeding. Other symptoms included diarrhea/constipation, nausea/vomiting, urogenital problems and mass sensation. The most common sites of metastasis were lung, brain and ovary