Colorectal cancer in Egypt - Does it differ?

Colorectal cancer is a disease of the elderly, and affects the younger population with an incidence of 2 to 6%. An increasing number of young colorectal carcinoma patients attending at Mansoura University Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt, was noted. This report represents our data of the last 5 years, and compares these results with those of other countries and those previously reported from Egypt. Data were collected retrospectively from the patient records of 400 consecutive patients who had colorectal cancer from January 1994 to March 1999 at Mansoura University Hospital. The maximum incidence was seen in the 5th and 6th decades (mean age was 45 years). A total of 29% of patients were younger than 30 years of age and 26% of them above the age of 60 years. The rectum was the most common site involved (68% of patients), followed by the sigmoid (colon/rectal ratio was 4:8.5). Two percent of cases were Dukes A Stage, 26% Dukes B, 31% Dukes C, and 41% Dukes D. The percentage of patients who underwent potentially curative resection was 66% (263 patients). Colorectal carcinoma in Egypt shares the epidemiological characteristics of developing countries which are higher incidence in younger patients and carcinoma of the rectum predominates.