[Progression of diagnosis and treatment in pediatric colorectal carcinoma]

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the third most common malignancy in adults. Pediatric colorectal carcinoma (PCRC) is a rare non-embryonal tumor with a significantly lower incidence compared to adults. The clinical manifestations of PCRC are not typical, and pediatricians usually have no enough experience in diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, early diagnosis is extremely difficult, which would always lead to late clinical stages when diagnosis is made. At present, the pathogenesis of PCRC is still not clear, and many countries have started to carry out researches at the level of genes, molecules and cells. In both tumor primary tumors and distant metastases, PCRC has obvious difference in distribution from adults, and the proportion of pathological type of mucous adenocarcinoma (including the signet ring cell carcinoma) was significantly higher than that of adults. Although treated according to adult colorectal cancer guidelines, PCRC has been unable to achieve ideal efficacy with poor prognosis and lower long-term survival rate. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the epidemiological characteristics, pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, pathological types, treatment and prognosis of colorectal cancer in children by reviewing the latest literatures at home and abroad.