Metastatic signet ring colon cancer in a Caribbean young adult and review of the literature

Colorectal cancer is the third most common neoplasm diagnosed in the USA, with less than 3% of patients younger than 40 years. Although most of the literature indicates that younger patients present with a higher stage and grade of cancer, mortality is not clearly correlated. Furthermore, the literature pertaining to colorectal cancer in the nonwhite youth is limited. In this case report, we report a case of aggressive colorectal cancer metastasizing in a young Afro-Caribbean woman with no known risk factors. The aim of this report is to raise awareness of this entity in the younger population, particularly in Afro-Caribbeans, which remains a highly understudied group compared with the rest of the US population. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 24: 731-734 (C) 2012 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.