A clinical study of newly-diagnosed colorectal cancer over 2 years in a gastroenterology center in Iraq

Abstract

Background and study aims Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common gastrointestinal cancer and the third most commonly diagnosed malignancy affecting about one million individuals each year. The etiology for most cases of CRC appears to be related to environmental factors. This study to describe the main characteristics of this malignancy regarding age, gender, and anatomical sub site distribution, as well as the main presenting symptoms in Iraqi patients. Patients and methods Patients with newly-diagnosed CRC by colonoscopy findings and confirmed by histopathological examination of endoscopic colonic biopsies were studied. Results Sixty three cases with a newly-diagnosed CRC were included in this study. There were 31 (49.2%) males and 32 (50.8%) females. CRC peaked in the 60–69 years old age group (p < 0.05), more than 60% were between 40 and 69 years old. Fresh bleeding per rectum was the most common symptom occurred in 48 (76.2%) patients; while the least common was weight loss (19%). The mean duration of symptoms before referral was 7.3 ± 12.6 months. The tumor sites of the CRC were the rectum and sigmoid region seen in 77.8% (p < 0.05), the rectum alone reported in 37 patients (58.7%); followed by sigmoid colon in 12 (19%) patients, cecum in 7 (11.1%) patients and the ascending colon seen in 2 (3.2%) patients. Conclusions In this study CRC occurs in relatively younger age groups in comparison to studies in the developed countries with rectal cancer predominates of all colorectal cancers.

Immunohistochemical expression of clusterin in colorectal carcinoma

“…Our results were similar to those obtained by Ali et al from Iraq. [22][23][24] There was no significant association between clusterin immunoexperssion and age of the patient, which was similar to other studies. 12,20,21 There were 24 males, and 36 females with a female to male ratio of 1.5:1 with a slight female predominance which was similar to that obtained by Mahmood and Alrubaie from Iraq.…”

“…26 There was no significant correlation between gender and clusterin immunoexpression, which was similar to what had been observed by others. 12,17,20,21,25 Forty five (75%) cases had primary tumor of the left colon and rectum, while 15 (25%) cases had tumor in the right colon, which is compatible to the results obtained by other studies, 17, [21][22][23][24] with no statistically significant association between clusterin immunoexpression and tumor location as in other studies. 12,16,17,21,25 Fifty three cases were non-mucinous adenocarcinoma (88.3%) while only 7 (11.7%) cases being diagnosed with mucinous adenocarcinoma, and the majority being well-moderately differentiated carcinoma (83.3%), while only 16.7 % had poorly differentiated tumor, this was in concordance with other studies.…”

“…12,20,21 There were 24 males, and 36 females with a female to male ratio of 1.5:1 with a slight female predominance which was similar to that obtained by Mahmood and Alrubaie from Iraq. 23,24 This slight female predominance was unlike other previous studies. 17,22,25 This may be attributed to age related difference in sex predominance as the male predominance may be age dependent as most of our patients were above 50 (61.7%).…”

Health behaviors, knowledge, screening, and attitudes toward colorectal cancer among Iraqi adults

“…Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer, with high rates of incidence and mortality globally. The incidence of CRC has also increased in previously low‐incidence regions since 1950 (Alrubaie et al., 2019). Many factors may play a role in CRC risks, including non‐modifiable and modifiable factors related to unhealthy lifestyles (CDC, 2022).…”

Roles of exosomes in diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer

“…As a global health issue, colorectal cancer (CRC) is ranked as the 3 rd most commonly diagnosed malignancy worldwide. Data indicate that CRC affects about one million people annually[ 1 ] and causes nearly 694000 related deaths in males and females with almost an equal gender distribution[ 2 ]. Lack of specific CRC symptoms imposes a challenge towards clinicians, as the symptoms may overlap with other non-cancerous diseases.…”