[Epidemiology, treatment and prognosis of colorectal cancer in young adults in sub-Saharan Africa].

Colorectal cancer is the most common digestive cancer. The objectives of this study was to analyse the frequency, aetiologies, and the therapeutic and progressive aspects of colorectal cancer in young adults in Burkina Faso. This study was a 10-years descriptive study conducted in 2 regional hospitals in Burkina Faso. It included all patients aged 20 to 45 years admitted to these two hospitals for colon cancer or rectal cancer during the study period. A total of 116 patients were included, which was 39.2% of all patients admitted for colorectal cancer during the same period. The average age of the included patients was 35.4 years old. There were 70 male patients (60.3%). Seven patients had a history of chronic inflammatory bowel disease, and six had a family history of colon cancer. The average consultation time was 6.2 months. In 25 cases (19.9%), the cancer was discovered in the context of an abdominal emergency. Ninety-two patients (79.3%) were diagnosed at stage 3 or stage 4 according to the TNM Staging System. The most common histological type was adenocarcinoma (103 cases, 88.9%). Therapeutically, surgery was performed on 87 patients (75%) and chemotherapy was used in 37 cases (31.9%). Sixteen patients received radiotherapy. The intra operative mortality rate was 4.6%. The 5-year survival rate was 17%. In conclusion, colorectal cancer in young adults occurs without obvious risk factors in Burkina Faso. Mortality remains high because of the limited therapeutic arsenal.