Anatomic, age, and sex distribution of colorectal cancer in a New York City Hispanic population.

This study was undertaken to examine the regional distribution of colorectal cancer, the age of presentation for different subsite locations of the disease and whether there is any intersex difference in frequency of the disease, in New York City Hispanics. The charts of Hispanic patients on file with the tumor registry at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City from 1976 to 1995 were reviewed. Demographic and pathologic data including patient age and cancer location were analyzed. Lesions of the distal colon and rectum accounted for more than 70%, while right-sided lesions were found in 20.7% of patients. The male to female ratio was 47.6% to 52.4%. The overall mean age of patients was 60.4 years. Proximal lesions presented at a later age than distal lesions, 63.2 years for the right colon and 58.5 years for the rectum; this difference in ages was significant. These results suggest that Hispanic-American patients with colorectal cancer appear to be presenting at an earlier age than the general American population. Further study is needed to determine whether Hispanic women are presenting with a higher frequency of colorectal cancer than their male counterparts and whether Hispanic patients are presenting at an earlier age than the general population with colorectal malignancies and why.