Pattern of colorectal cancer at two hospitals in the western region of Saudi Arabia.
METHODS
Data of all patients with CRC treated at two hospitals in the Western region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), between 1993 and 2002, were collected and analyzed.


RESULTS
Out of the 121 patients evaluated, ten were excluded because of incomplete data. Out of 111 patients, 59 (53.2%) were males, with a male to female ratio of 1.13: 1 and 49 (44.1 %) were Saudis. Thirty-three patients (29.7%) were 40 years or less and 78 (70.3%) were more than 40 years. Colon cancer was found in 69 patients (62.2%) and rectal cancer in 42 (37.8%). Stages at presentation were; stage 0 (2.7%), stage I (11.7%), stage II (23.4%), stage III (20.7%), stage IV (22.5%) and the staging was unknown in 18.9% of the patients. The most common tumor grade was moderately differentiated (38.7%), followed by poorly differentiated (20.7%) and well differentiated 19.8% of the patients. Forty-four patients (39.6%) were alive at the time of data collection, 43 (38.7%) expired and 24 (21.6%) were lost to follow up. Correlation between age groups revealed that young patients had more advanced stage and poorly differentiated tumors than > 40 years old (p= 0.005 and 0.024 respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Compared to data from Western countries, colorectal cancer in this population is more common in younger patients. It presents more commonly in a more advanced stage and poorly differentiated type than in older patients.
Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Mahmoud Shaheen
MS
Al-Ahwal
Aisha
A
Abdo Al-Ghamdi