BACKGROUND/AIMS: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in young people is increasing, indicating an urgent need for understanding young-onset CRC. This study serves to clarify the characteristics and prognosis of young CRC patients. METHODS: Using a detailed database, various clinicopathological findings including symptoms, family history and prognosis of 70 young CRC patients under 50 years who underwent surgical resection between 2005 and 2011 were compared to 786 old CRC patients over 50 years. For the comparison of prognosis, a matched 1:4 case-control study adjusting for gender, tumor location, tumor differentiation type, and Union For International Cancer Control stage was conducted. RESULTS: The young group had a higher proportion of rectal cancer (51.4 vs. 36.4%, p = 0.004) and a higher positive rate for the Amsterdam criteria II (7.1 vs. 1.9%, p = 0.02) than the old group. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) or cancer-specific survival (CSS) between the young and old groups (5-year OS: 84.7 vs. 76.9%, p = 0.18; 5-year CSS: 84.7 vs. 82.8%, p = 0.55). CONCLUSION: This study may add a new perspective to understanding young-onset CRC. The prognosis of young CRC patients was equivalent to that of old CRC patients.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in young people is increasing, indicating an urgent need for understanding young-onset CRC. This study serves to clarify the characteristics and prognosis of young CRC patients. METHODS: Using a detailed database, various clinicopathological findings including symptoms, family history and prognosis of 70 young CRC patients under 50 years who underwent surgical resection between 2005 and 2011 were compared to 786 old CRC patients over 50 years. For the comparison of prognosis, a matched 1:4 case-control study adjusting for gender, tumor location, tumor differentiation type, and Union For International Cancer Control stage was conducted. RESULTS: The young group had a higher proportion of rectal cancer (51.4 vs. 36.4%, p = 0.004) and a higher positive rate for the Amsterdam criteria II (7.1 vs. 1.9%, p = 0.02) than the old group. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) or cancer-specific survival (CSS) between the young and old groups (5-year OS: 84.7 vs. 76.9%, p = 0.18; 5-year CSS: 84.7 vs. 82.8%, p = 0.55). CONCLUSION: This study may add a new perspective to understanding young-onset CRC. The prognosis of young CRC patients was equivalent to that of old CRC patients.