Characteristics of colorectal cancer patients in Kurdistan centre for gastroenterology & hepatology (kcgh)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. In Asia the incidence of CRC is increasing. It is now the second most common cause of death in western countries. Objectives: To evaluate the socio-demographic, clinical, endoscopic and histopathological characteristics of patient with colorectal cancer at Kurdistan center for gastroenterology and hepatology (KCGH). Patients and methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of CRC in Kurdistan center for gastroenterology and hepatology in Sulaimani city/ Iraqi Kurdistan for 14 months from 1st of June 2014 to 31st of July 2015. The records of 2163 colonoscopies were evaluated to find cases of colorectal cancer. Results: A hundred patients with histologically proved CRC were included in this study (55% male, 45% female); 64 % of patients were above 50 years of age. Mean age was 55.7 ± 16.4 year. The most common presenting symptom was bleeding per rectum (40%), followed by abdominal pain (30%). Site of distribution of tumor was 78% distal colon, 22% proximal colon. The vast majority of cases were adenocarcinoma (97%). Conclusions: Colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 4.6% of patients who had been referred for colonoscopy at KCGH, male to female ratio was 1.2:1, mostly in the 7th and 8th decades. Bleeding per rectum was the most common presenting symptom and adenocarcinoma was the most common histological type.