Abstract:

Objective     To compare clinicopathological characteristics between elderly and young patients with rectal cancer in order to improve awareness and diagnosis of elderly rectal cancer. Methods      A total of 117 patients with rectal cancer treated between January 2010 and September 2010 were divided into the elderly group (>60 years old), and the young group (≤60 years old). Clinicopathological characteristics of the two groups were analyzed. Results      Elderly patients had a significant smaller ratio(32.31%) of low rectal neoplasm (distance from the anus<5cm) than young patients(54.90%) (P=0.0145).  Clinical symptoms mainly appeared from 2 weeks to 2 years before diagnosis, accounting for 87.07%.  The ratio of lymph node metastasis was markedly higher in the elderly group than in the young group (50.88% vs 29.79%, P=0.0297). Elderly patients(16.39%) were more likely to have complications than young patients(2.04%) (P=0.0214). Conclusion      Clinical symptoms last a long time before patients are diagnosed with rectal cancer. Patients should increase awareness of health to improve the early diagnosis of rectal cancer. More healthcare should be given to elderly patients before and after surgery to reduce postoperative complications. Colorectal cancer screening system should be established in China to reduce the incidence

Key words: Rectal cancer; Elderly; Clinical pathological characteristics