Colorectal cancer in adolescent Nigerians

Colorectal cancer has its peak incidence in the sixth and seventh decades of life in the industrialised countries. However, in developing countries the mean age is in the fifth decade. The diseases has been studied in the very young in Western Countries and its unique features well documented. So far this has not been done ine Nigeria. This paper presents illustrative cases of carcinoma of the colon and rectum in the very young in some Nigerian adolescents outlines their peculiar features and postulates on the role of certa in risk factors that can have aetiologic significance in colorectal cancer in Nigerians.