Characteristics of Colorectal Mucinous Adenocarcinoma in Iran

Aims and Background: Mucinous adenocarcinoma (MA) colorectal cancer accounts for 10 to 15% of colorectal carcinoma. It is generally thought that patients with MA present at a more advanced stage of disease and have a poorer prognosis than those with other types of carcinoma The purpose of the present study was to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of mucinous colorectal carcinoma in the Iranian population. Methods: Between January 2002 and March 2008, Of the 1283 colorectal cancer patients, 110 patients were considered to have mucinous tumors according to pathology report. Patients evaluated on the basis of sex, age, location of tumor, stage, differentiation of tumor and family history of cancer. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used for survival analysis. Results: The median age of these patients at diagnosis was 50.07 years. More than 50% of patients were younger than aged 50 years. 34.5% of patients had a family history of colorectal cancer in their first-degree relatives. Most tumors were presented in right colon. 54.3% of MA patients had advanced Stage lesions. The Kaplan-Meier method indicated that, the 1, 3 and 5years survival rates are 92.6, 80.1 and 41.3 percent, respectively. Survival of the patients was related to disease stage (P = 0.023). Conclusion: Our suggests that genetic factors may be play an important role in the development of this disease in our country and screening programs, especially genetic screening programs, should be considered as a main measure for prevention and control of colorectal cancer in Iran.