Colorectal cancer in patients with family history.

The relationship between first degree family history of colorectal cancer and some pathological and clinical features was investigated in 302 patients affected by large bowel carcinoma. Patients with inherited forms of polyposis of the large bowel were excluded. Thirty-six (11.9%) had at least one close relative affected by intestinal cancer. No relationship between family history and pathological features (anatomic distribution, stage and grading) was found. Moreover no difference in prognosis between patients with a family history and those without was shown. These results suggest no relationship between a first degree family history and the natural history of the disease.