Spectrum of Colorectal Carcinoma in Karachi

Background: Worldwide, colorectal carcinoma is the third most common malignancy affecting both males and females. Although being considered an old-age disease, a higher incidence of CRC has been reported in younger individuals in developing countries. Objectives: The study aimed to determine the clinicopathological characteristics of previously diagnosed colorectal cancer cases, including demographic factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, as well as tumour location, grading, staging, and mode of treatment, in diagnosed cases of colorectal cancer at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over three years, from September 2020 to August 2023, following IRB approval. All cases of colorectal carcinoma presenting at the Department of Oncology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, were included in the study. The data were analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Of 193 patients, 116(60.1%) were males and 77(39.8%) were females. The overall mean age was 40 ±15.023 years. Per rectal bleeding was the most common (49.03 %) presenting symptom, and the predominant tumour site was the rectum, 88(45.6%). Most of the tumours were at TNM stage III, followed by stage IV. The most common site for distant metastasis was the liver, 46 (23.8%). Conclusions: The Majority of cases were males aged under 50 years. The majority of the patients had no family history of any cancer. Adenocarcinoma was the most common type. The majority of the patients had advanced disease at the time of diagnosis.