Clinicopathological profile of colorectal carcinoma

The colon including the rectum is host to more primary neoplasms than any other organ in the body. Colorectal carcinoma is an important cause of cancer deaths worldwide, but has variable geographical distribution.In developed countries it is among the 3 most common cancers with an incidence of 570000 new cases per annum.Colorectal cancer in Kashmir valley is the 3rd most common gastrointestinal cancer after esophageal and gastric cancer as per reports. The present study was conducted prospectively from September 2009 to August 2011 in the Department of Pathology, Government Medical College, Srinagar.In the present study there were a total of sixty eight (68) cases of colorectal carcinomas with mean age being 49.8 (SD 16.4) years and maximum number of patient were in the age group of 50-59 years with 32.35% of patients were below forty years of age. Male to female ratio was 1.3:1. The most common presenting symptom was bleeding per rectum (57.36%). Rectum was the predominant anatomic site accounting for 35.5% of carcinomas. On histological examination 94.11% were adenocarcinomas, 4.41% were mucinous adenocarcinomas and 1.47%were signet ring cell carcinoma.