title: Differences in clinicopathological characteristics of colorectal cancer between younger and elderly patients: an analysis of 322 patients from a single institution.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) of different onset ages is controversial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from a prospective database at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. There were 2,738 newly diagnosed patients with CRC from 2001 to 2006. Two extreme age groups, younger (≤40 years) and elderly (≥80 years), were analyzed to compare clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis after exclusion of specific cancer syndrome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 322 patients were enrolled in this prospective study. The younger group consisted of 69 patients with mean age of 33.5 years, and the elderly group consisted of 253 patients with mean age of 83.4 years. Younger patients had a higher incidence of mucinous cell type (14.5% vs 6.3%, P = .05), poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (26.1% vs 6.3%, P < .001), more advanced disease (82.6% vs 41.9%, P < .001), poorer disease-free survival (67.2% vs 79.3%, P = .048), and cancer-specific survival (44.1% vs 73.1%, P < .001) than elderly patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with CRC of younger onset, without relevant predisposing risk factors, younger patients have more advanced stages of disease, more aggressive histopathologic characteristics, and poorer prognoses compared with older patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Lin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Shih-Ching
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Tzu-Chen
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Wei-Shone
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jeng-Kae
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Huann-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shung-Haur
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Wen-Yih
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jen-Kou
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies