Early onset Colorectal Cancer and its association with its histological subtypes

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Gastroenterology
• Pathology

Background:

• Colorectal cancer (CRC) exhibits varying clinicopathological features based on age of onset.
• Understanding these differences is crucial for tailored diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the histological features of colorectal cancer (CRC) in different age groups.
• To identify potential differences in presentation between early-onset and late-onset CRC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 232 patients with histologically confirmed CRC (ages 13-99).
• Data collected from tumor registry between January 2018 and December 2020.
• Statistical analysis using Pearson Chi-square test (p<0.05 considered significant).

Main Results:

• Mean age at diagnosis was 55.49 years; 35.1% of patients were ≤50 years old.
• Adenocarcinoma was the most common subtype (81%).
• Significantly higher proportion of mucinous adenocarcinoma and signet ring cell carcinoma patients were diagnosed <50 years (p<0.05) and presented with high-grade tumors (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Mucinous and signet ring cell CRC subtypes are associated with earlier age of onset and higher tumor grade.
• Early diagnosis is critical for improving outcomes in patients with these aggressive CRC subtypes.