Colorectal carcinoma at Al-Gamhouria Teaching Hospital, Aden, Yemen

Colorectal cancer is the first common cause of cancer in men and the fourth cause after breast, NHL and ovary in women in Aden. This study aims to retrospectively analyze the pattern of patients with colorectal cancer seen in Oncology Unit, at Al-Gamhouria Teaching Hospital from January to December 2008.

All cases of colorectal cancer presented at oncology unit, Al-Gamhouria Teaching Hospital in Aden Yemen between January and December 2008 were reviewed and the data was analyzed to determine age, gender, residency, clinical presentation, histological types and staging of disease and treatment.

A total of 50 cases were included in the study, 34 (68%) male and 16 (34%) were female. (M:F 2.1:1). The mean age at presentation was 48.8 years for females and 56.4 for males. Abdominal pain (70%) and bleeding per rectum (50%) were the main presenting complaints. The most common sites are rectum (34%), caecum and ascending colon (30%) and sigmoid in 18% of cases. 82% of tumors of colorectal region were adenocarcinomas, the majority of which (66%) were well to moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Stages at presentation were: stage I (12%), stage II (18%), stage III (52%) and stage IV (18%).

There is an increased incidence of colorectal carcinoma. Bad outcome directly related to late detection of cancer and >70 % of cases in stages III and IV. There is need to increase awareness through public education about this malignancy and its management. Any adult with complaints of vague abdominal pain, blood or mucus in the stool or features of haemorrhoids which may herald the onset of colorectal cancer should be adequately investigated with digital rectal examination (DRE) and proctosigmoidoscopy and barium enema where appropriate.