ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study was to investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients aged 44 years and younger. METHODS: Patients were identified from a prospectively maintained CRC database and divided into two groups by age: younger and older group (≤44 and >44 years). Clinicopathologic characteristics and postoperative outcomes were compared. RESULTS: There were 530 patients aged ≤44 years at diagnosis. More patients in the younger group had a family history of CRC compared with older patients. Younger patients were more likely than older patients to have larger tumours, infiltrative growth type tumours, poorly differentiated tumours, mucinous and signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma, and advanced TNM stages. Compared to older patients, more younger patients received chemotherapy and died of cancer-related causes. Overall survival, disease-free survival and cancer-specific survival of younger patients were comparable to older patients. Blood transfusion, TNM stage, histological grade and disease recurrence were independently associated with survival in the younger group. CONCLUSIONS: Despite younger patients having unfavourable clinicopathologic features, younger age at diagnosis of CRC appears to be associated with similar oncologic outcomes as compared to older patients.