Clinicopathological Characteristics of Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Study in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh

Author(s): Mohammad Zillur Rahman, Saumitra Chakravarty, Mohammad Shukur Ali, Mohammad Abir Hasan Siddique Rahi, Syeda Rumman Aktar Siddiqui

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health issue and ranks as the third most frequently diagnosed and second most deadly cancer globally. Colorectal cancer (CRC) accounted for around 9.4% of cancer-related deaths worldwide in 2020. The prevalence of CRC exhibits significant variation, with elevated rates observed in North America, Australia, and Northern and Western Europe. Patients in the South Asian population commonly exhibit colorectal cancer (CRC) at a younger age and typically at an advanced stage. CRC is not widely prevalent in the Indian subcontinent. The prevalence of colorectal cancer in India was determined to be 4.2 and 3.2 per one hundred thousand individuals for males and females, respectively. The precise prevalence of colorectal cancer in Bangladesh remains unknown. This article aimed to identify the clinicopathological characteristics of colorectal cancer in Bangladeshi patients, regardless of age and gender.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Pathology in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh between October 2023 and March 2024. The study involved analyzing data from 293 patients with excised colorectal cancer. Statistical software (SPSS version 23.0) was used to analyze the data.

Results: A series of 293 excised cases of colorectal carcinoma irrespective of age and sex were enrolled in this study. The mean age of the patients was 48.39±14.61 years.Most cases (168, 57.33%) were males. Ascending colon was the most frequent (87, 29.69%) site of the growth of colorectal carcinoma. Most common morphological pattern was exophytic (130, 44.36%).The most frequent histologic type of colorectal carcinoma was found to be adenocarcinoma NOS 238(81.22%). The most frequent histological grade was marked as low grade (243, 82.93%). Among the stages of pT, the most frequent stage was identified as pT3 (180, 61.43%) and among pN, the most frequent stage was found to be pN0 (164, 55.9%).

Conclusion: Most of the colorectal carcinoma was observed in the middle and old aged people. The male dominance was found in the incidence of colorectal carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma NOS was the most frequent histpathological type of colorectal carcinoma among the study patients. Colorectal carcinoma involved in ascending colon in majority of the cases. Most of the cases were diagnosed at an advanced tumor (pT) stage.