ANALYSIS OF COLORECTAL CARCINOMA IN PATIENTS BELOW 40 YEARS OF AGE WITH SUSPECTED CLINICAL FEATURES

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a notable source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. CRC is consistently the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. Objectives of the study: The main objective of the study is to analyse the colorectal carcinoma in patients below 40 years of age with suspected clinical features. Methodology of the study: This descriptive study was conducted in King Edward Medical University, Lahore during January 2019 to June 2019. Hospital records of patients under the age of 40 years who underwent CRC operations were included in this study. Specifically, the following documents where reviewed; admission notes, operative notes, discharge summaries, endoscopy records, and pathology reports. The main study variables included: demographics, presenting symptoms leading to diagnosis, family history of CRC, tumor location, type of surgical resection, stage and differentiation of disease, and post-operative complications. Results: One hundred eighty patients under 40 years of age (87 females, 93 males; range 17-49 years; mean 40.4 ± 3.2 years) underwent a CRC operation. When the total population of 180 patients under age 40 is considered, the distribution of CRC within age categories is as follows: under age 30 years, 8 patients (4%); age 30-39 years, 46 patients (26%); age 40-49 years, 126 (70%). Of note, 30% of the patients were younger than 40 years of age. One hundred and seventy patients (94%) reported symptoms upon presentation. Conclusion: It is concluded that the incidence of rectal and rectosigmoid cancer appears to be increasing in patients aged less than 40. Data confirms that in an ethnically diverse young population, CRC tends to be at an advanced stage, aggressive and frequently non-operable at the time of diagnosis