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Colorectal carcinoma in different age groups

A histopathological analysis

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International Journal of Colorectal Disease Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Although colorectal cancer is typical in the older population, tumor onset before age 40 is not infrequent. However, the behavior, characteristics, and prognosis of this disease in young patients are unclear when compared to the older population. It is believed that young patients have a poor prognosis. We hypothesized that young patients have a poor prognosis because they have advanced-stage cancer with more aggressive pathologic features.

Methods

Using a university hospital database, we analyzed the histopathological features of three groups of patients with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer: young age group (patients 40 years and younger), intermediate age group (patients 41–80 years old), and old age group (patients 81 years and older).

Results

A total of 653 cases of colorectal cancer were analyzed. The young age group comprised 48 patients (7.4%), the intermediate age group comprised 538 patients (82.4%) and the old age group consisted of 67 patients (10.3%).The gender distribution was similar between the groups. The mean age of the young, intermediate, and old age groups were 34.5 (±5.0), 61.7 (±11.1) and 85.1 (±4.6) years old, respectively. The pathological features analyzed such as lymph node involvement, tumor histological classification and grade, venous, neural and lymphatic invasion, T and N classification of the TNM System, and Astler–Coller classification were similar between the age groups.

Conclusions

The colorectal histopathological features in young patients are similar to older patients. More aggressive characteristics or more advanced stage are not seen in younger patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Colorectal Surgery, Alfa Institute of Gastroenterology–Hospital das Clínicas, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena, 110. 2º andar, CEP 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Leonardo Maciel da Fonseca, Magda Maria Profeta da Luz, Antônio Lacerda-Filho & Rodrigo Gomes da Silva

  2. Laboratory of Surgical Pathology, Alfa Institute of Gastroenterology–Hospital das Clínicas, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Mônica Maria Demas Alvares Cabral

  3. Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine of School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Mônica Maria Demas Alvares Cabral

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  1. Leonardo Maciel da Fonseca
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  2. Magda Maria Profeta da Luz
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  4. Mônica Maria Demas Alvares Cabral
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  5. Rodrigo Gomes da Silva
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Correspondence to Leonardo Maciel da Fonseca.

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da Fonseca, L.M., da Luz, M.M.P., Lacerda-Filho, A. et al. Colorectal carcinoma in different age groups. Int J Colorectal Dis 27, 249–255 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-011-1299-0

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