DIFFERENCES IN COLORECTAL-CANCER BETWEEN CHINA AND JAPAN - A CLINICALAND HISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF 2 GROUPS OF CASES

It is well known that most tumours are attributed to life style, espec ially the tumours of the digestive system, Clinical and histopathologi cal investigation of tumours in different human groups and societies, and analysis of the variations will provide evidence for this, and is one of the approaches to study carcinogens, Clinical data obtained fro m 391 patients with colorectal cancer at the Sakai Municipal Hospital, Japan, and Shanghai Jinshan Hospital and Cancer Hospital, China, from 1987 to 1992, included the sex, age and tumour subsite, Sections of h istological specimens were also retrieved, The results were compared b etween two countries, The average age of patients with colorectal canc er in Shanghai was 8.5 years less than in the Sakai group, The age pea k of the former was 51-60, and in the latter, 61-70 years, The most fr equent site of the cancer in the Shanghai group was the rectum, contra sting with the higher percentage of sigmoid colon cancer in Sakai grou p, There was also a significant difference in histological subtype of the cancer between the two groups, Mucinous adenocarcinoma was notably more common in the Shanghai group than in the Sakai group, and the hi gh frequency was mainly in the colon, All of the variations were sugge sted to be attributable to differing socioeconomic circumstances and l ifestyle, especially the dietary habits of the countries.