COLORECTAL-CANCER IN PATIENTS AGED 30 YEARS OR YOUNGER

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is believed to carry a grim prognosis in young patients. A retrospective study of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 30 years or less between 1971 and 1994 was conducted. S tatistical analyses were performed using non-parametric one way ANOVA tests and logistic regression models. Sixty-eight of the patients eval uated at our institution were suitable for this study. Risk factors we re identified in 28% of patients. The median age at diagnosis was 27 y ears (range 14-30 years). Fifty-six patients (82%) were Stage III or I V at the time of diagnosis. Twenty-two of the 34 patients who underwen t potentially curative surgery had recurring disease at a median of 12 months (range 1-43 months). At a median follow-up of 21.5 months, 54 patients had died from disease. At the time of death, abdominal carcin omatosis and distant disease were the most common patterns of failure. Stage of the primary tumour (P=0.0006) and recurrence (P=0.0001) were the only variables noted to be associated with survival. The stage of the primary tumour and whether the tumour recurred were each associat ed with survival in patients with colorectal cancer at age 30 years or less.