A 16-year review of clinico-pathological pattern of colorectal carcinoma at University College Hospital, Ibadan

Abstract

Background: Colorectal carcinoma appears to be increasing in some developing countries with the adoption of sedentary western lifestyle and diet, migration patterns and the improved availability of requisite specialized medical services. The aim of this study was to determine whether there has been any change in the frequency and clinicopathological profile of colorectal carcinoma in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Methods: This was a retrospective review of histologically diagnosed cases of colorectal carcinoma between 1991 and 2006 from the Department of Pathology, University College Hospital, Ibadan. The WHO classification of colorectal carcinoma and TNM staging systems were used in this study.
Results: Three hundred and fifty four cases of colorectal carcinoma were analysed. The relative ratio frequency of colonic and rectal cancer increased appreciably over the study period. The male to female ratio was 1.3:1; age range was 9-86 years and modal age was 55-59 years. The common histological types include adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified (NOS) (288 cases), mucinous adenocarcinoma (57 cases) and signet ring cell adenocarcinoma (6 cases). The majority of the tumours were in TNM stage I.
Conclusion: There has been a sustained increase in the incidence of not only colonic but rectal carcinomas in Ibadan. These cancers tend to develop at a slightly lower age than that reported from higher incidence countries and this has important implications for the aetiopathogenesis of this disease among black Africans.

Keywords: Colon, rectum, carcinoma, pathology, staging, Nigeria