Colorectal carcinoma in young adults

Charts of 570 patients with colorectal carcinoma surgically treated in one institution during a 13 year period were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate clinicopathologic patterns and surgical results of those 39 years of age or under. Of the 570 patients, 57 (10 percent) were 39 years of age or under, and this group included more female patients than the older control group. Mucinous carcinoma was frequently found on histologic examination, with significantly high incidences of lymph node involvement, peritoneal dissemination, and advanced tumor stages by Dukes' classification in the young patients. The overall cumulative 5 year survival rate in the younger group was significantly lower than that in the control group (41 percent and 55.9 percent, respectively), whereas the difference in rates among the two groups for curative resection was not statistically significant (71.6 percent and 76.3 percent, respectively). Early diagnosis and attempts at curative resection are of utmost importance in the treatment of young patients with colorectal carcinoma.