Malignant colorectal tumours: a ten year review in Jos, Nigeria.

One hundred and forty-four cases of histologically confirmed colorectal cancer in patients managed at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) over a 10 year period from January, 1989 to January, 1999 is discussed with special consideration to incidence, distribution and unfavourable prognosis. Altogether, 144 patients were treated for colorectal carcinoma. Eighty-seven were males while fifty-seven were females, giving a male to female ratio of 1.51:1. The mean age was 44.3 years. The commonest clinical presenting features were weight loss, bloody mucoid diarrhoea, anorectal mass, anaemia, low-back pain and constipation/increased noise in the abdomen, present for not less than 3 months. The rectum and rectosigmoid junction were the commonly affected sites. All, except four patients, had advanced disease at first presentation. Treatment was basically palliative with only 43.5 percent of those offered such treatment alive at 6 months while 25 percent had died. Prognosis is unfavourable. Though, predisposing factors are not clear, promotion of educational programme highlighting the dangers of concealing chronic large bowel symptoms and screening efforts will most probably reduce morbidity and mortality rates associated with this condition.