Banane, Lucia E.2024-05-062024-05-062019-11-05Banane,L E., 2019. The prevalence and clinicopathologic characteristics of colorectal cancer among patients under 50 years of age, in selected hospitals in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. HKMUhttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1339A dissertation to be submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree 0f Master of Medicine (Surgery) of Hubert Kairuki Memorial UniversityBackground: Colorectal cancer is a common surgical diagnosis worldwide. Tanzania's colorectal cancer incidence has increased six times in the past decade. Globally, colorectal cancer is believed to be a disease pre\'alent among old age cohort. Objective: To determine the burden and associated clinicopathologic characteristics of colorectal cancer among young adults seen in Dar es Salaam hospitals, Tanzania. Methods: A 5-year retrospective-based study was conducted among biopsy confiim^l colorectal cancer patients at major referral hospital facilities in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Young adults were the target population. A pre-designed clinical sheet was used to collect data on demographic, clinical, radiological as well as histopatholo^ findings. Data were summarized using median (and IQR) for continuous vaiiables and frequency (with proportion by %) for categorical variables. Pearson Chi-square test \vas used to assess the association between variables. Data were analyzed using Epi-Info 7 statistical software. Alpha-level of 5% was set as a limit for type I error. Results: Out of 335 biopsy confirmed colorectal cancer patients analyzed during the study period, 128 patients wei-e <50 years old giving out a prevalence of 38.2 %. Male:female was 1.7:1 in this study population. Rectal bleeding (n= 207, 61.8%), abdominal pains/discomfort (n= 62, 18.5%), change in bowel habits (n= 61, 18.2%) as well as features of bowel obstruction (n=52, 15.5%) were the commonest presenting symptoms and signs in this study population. Majority (75.2%) of patients presented with stages III and IV of their disease state, whth 50 (45.9%) and 32 (29.3%) respectively. About seven in ten (69.5%) of all patients had either moderately or poorly differentiate colorectal cancer cells. Almost all patients (96.7%) had biopsy confiime adenocarcinoma. Conclusion: There is a sharp increase in the reported number of biopsy-confirme CRC among patients younger than 50 years in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, reported in the immediate 5 years period. Recommendations: There is an urgent need for early screening of CRC among younger age groups in the society^ in order to avoid the effects oi" deleterious consequences of the canco", as apart from the increase rise in CRC in younger adults, most are also detected at late stages.enColorectal CancerClinicopathologicDar es salaam,TanzaniaThesis