Colorectal cancer in Mosul province how does it present

Although colonic cancer incidence in Mosul province is uncommon compared to other countries, but still we see more patients mainly of the young age group with the majority of victims presented acutely with advanced stage, to prove that we must continue to rely on clinical findings for detecting this cancer, to keep colorectal cancer on the differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal symptoms and still careful history and proper physical examination are the usual methods for suspecting colorectal cancer

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Methods: a retrospective study of patients with colorectal cancer treated in Mosul hospitals between January 1981 to December 2000 clinical data were carefully analyzed with special attention to clinical presention, management and the characteristics of the cancer

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Results: 279 patients with colorectal tumors, included in this study, male patients 169[60.4%], female patients were 110[39.4%], male to female ratio were 1.5411, male patients predominating in all age groups, 193 [69.2%] of patients were below 60 [sixty] years of age, and more than 50% of cancer located distal to splenic flexure. The most common clinical presentation were, abdominal pains, intestinal obstruction, and palpable mass [40. 5%], [32.2%], [26. 5%] respectively. Sixty-eight percent of patients presented with Duke. C [50. 2%], while D [18. 3%], this means late presentation

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Conclusion: one third of patient presented acutely as intestinal obstruction and more than two third, in advanced stage, there were definite delays in early detection of colorectal cancer and we must continue to rely on clinical findings at presentation and to keep colorectal cancer on the differential diagnosis of chronic gastrointestinal symptoms