Adenocarcinoma of the colon presenting as anaemia

All patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon treated surgically at the Austin Hospital over a five-year period were reviewed to determine the relevance of anaemia in diagnosis. It was found that one-fifth of the patients presented with symptoms of anaemia to the doctor of first contact, and of these, one-third had an unwarranted delay in diagnosis (mean delay 13 months).