[Carcinomas of the digestive system in patients under 20 years old]

Gastrointestinal cancers are very scarce for the people under twenties. Such a rarity, as misguides diagnostic trend, is responsible, in the greater part of cases, of the lag in the recognizing these neoplasm and, consequently, reduces the expectations of surviving whether medium or long term. Authors report their experience as regards to observation of two cases of malignant neoplasm of the stomach and of the recto-sigmoid joint in young patients of fourteen and nineteen years old and they emphasize the importance of a complete diagnostic route which, in spite of age, does not exclude the possibility of a neoplastic pathology in the presence of suggestive persistent symptomatology. It is underlined the importance of early diagnosis in fact survival yield is always and however dependent on a disease stage and not on age. Furthermore it is underlined that the young patient is subject to a rate of postoperative complications which is marginal compared with intervention yield, this is translated in a better responsiveness of young patient to radical and, if it is necessary, extended interventions.