Incidence of colorectal carcinoma: is there a "shift to the right"?

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out in Department of Pathology, Basic Medical Sciences Institute, Jinnah postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi over a period of five years. 124 cases of colorectal adenocarcinoma were studied with respect to age, gender and location. Relationship of these variables to each other was also analyzed. Patients with an age range of 10 - 80 years were divided into different age groups. Most of the patients were in 41 - 60 years age group [55; 44.5%]. Gender distribution revealed male predominance with a male to female ratio of 2.541. Incidence of colorectal cancer in both the male and female patients is more in 41 - 60 years age group. Relationship of location of tumor to age and gender reveal a male predominance in all the locations with highest number of both male and female patients, [59; 47.6%] seen the in rectum in 21 - 40 years age group [44; 40.7%]. Tumors in distal locations are much more common in this study than tumors in proximal subsites indicating that no 'shift to the right' is seen. In conclusion, incidence of colorectal carcinoma is more in young patients less than 60 years of age with a male predominance and a distal location specifically the rectum