The colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth incident malignant neoplasm in Brazil. Its diagnosis in young patients is usually underestimated by being frequently considered as elderly patients' clinical condition. This research has the objective to evaluate clinical-pathological variables in patients below 40 years, according to age, gender, ethnic, family history, smoking, signs and symptoms, time from the beginning of the symptoms to the diagnosis, and location of the primary lesion through retrospective study of 11 cases of CRC assisted at the Academical Hospital - HUUFMA in the period from 1995 to 2005. The included patients represented 11 (3,27%) of the cases which are more frequent in women (54,5%). The average age to the diagnosis was 30,5 years. The signs and symptoms more prevalent were abdominal pain, intestinal habit alterations, weight loss, rectal pain and hematoquezy. The average time from the beginning of the sintomatology to the emergence of the symptoms was of 9,09 months. Most of the lesions were founded in the recto-sigmoid and rectum (81,8%). Around 80% of the patients presented carcinoma in stages C and D of Dukes Astler-Coller's classification. Young patients with CRC have usually vast symptomatology with advanced disease at the diagnosis, therefore with smaller cure possibility and worse prognosis.
Colorectal cancer; young patients; adenocarcinoma; pathology; neoplasm
