Distinctive features of early onset colorectal cancer. A tertiary hospital experience

PURPOSE: The colorectal cancer rate under the age 50 years tends to increase, and we aimed to identify the general features of early-onset colorectal cancer and the differences between cancer in younger and older patients. METHODS: The patients with colorectal cancer who underwent surgery between 2016 and 2021 were included. The subjects were divided into two groups by age under and over 50. Demographic, clinical, and pathological features of early-onset colorectal cancer were identified retrospectively. RESULTS: 226 patients were included in our study, and 36 (15.9%) of them were under 50 years old. The mean age of the patients in the early-onset colorectal cancer group was 43.1 +/- 5.9 years. Most of the young patients were male, similar to the elderly CRC group. The tumors in the EOCRC group were significantly located left site (86.1% vs. 66.8%) compared to elderly CRC. Most of the tumors were medium or poorly differentiated (80.6%). The numbers of removed lymph nodes were significantly higher in the EOCRC group compared to the elderly CRC group (p<0.05), and postoperative complications were detected lower in EOCRC. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of EOCRC continues to increase. There is no information about the exact reason for this increase. Comprehensive studies are needed to reveal general characteristics, genetic background, and predisposing factors in cancer formation and figure out the increase in the incidence.