Case Comparative Study On Young And Old Patients With Colorectal Cancer

Background: Colorectal carcinoma is a usually disease of malignant tumor, more common in elder patients, but not rare in young adult. Colorectal carcinoma in youth is different in clinical, pathologic features and prognosis compared with that in elder. Colorectal carcinoma before age 35 develops rapidly with occult symptoms and a high misdiagnosis rate, and the majority patients are in advanced stage with a poor prognosis when the diagnosis is confirmed. The incidence rate of colorectal carcinoma in young adult is going up in recent years. Colorectal carcinoma in young adult is paid more attention to explore its clinical and pathologic features and early diagnosis.Objective: To investigate the characteristics of clinicopathology in young (age≤35) and old (age>60) patients with colorectal cancer.Methods: 394 cases with colorectal cancer were divided into 2 groups who were in hospital from January 2000 to December 2006. The case group was composed 66 patients younger than 35 and the control group was composed 328 patients older than 60.Results: There was significant difference between the two groups in family history, misdiagnosis, type of tumor mass, histologic type, degree of tumor differentiation, clinical stage, metastatic lymph node and depth of infiltration, but not in site of tumor and cardinal form.Conclusions: The pathological differentiation of young patients group was lower and their prognosis was worse than that of old patients group. In order to raise the survival rate, it is important to diagnosis and treat Young patients as early as possible.