Colorectal cancer in children: an evaluation of the existing literature based on the 11-year experience of a single center.

PURPOSE: Children's risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) is relatively low. In this report, we present our experience with CRC in the pediatric age group, together with an extensive review of the literature.

METHODS

Between the years 2013 and 2024, a total of five patients diagnosed with CRC underwent treatment at the Department of Pediatric Surgery in our tertiary hospital. A retrospective evaluation was conducted on patients' charts, encompassing demographics, admission symptoms, patient and family histories, laboratory and radiologic findings, operative and pathology reports, genetic and molecular study results, treatment protocols, and follow-up data.

RESULTS

There were three males and two females, with a mean age of 13.5 ± 2.5 years. The primary sites were the sigmoid and rectosigmoid. Two patients were diagnosed with mucinous adenocarcinoma based on histopathological examination. Among the three remaining patients, one presented with signet ring cells, one displayed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma characteristics, and one exhibited well-differentiated adenocarcinoma characteristics. At the time of the most recent follow-up, two patients have demonstrated survival.

CONCLUSION

The two main factors contributing to poor survival in pediatric CRC were concluded to be at an advanced stage during diagnosis and having an aggressive histologic subtype. Including CRC in the preliminary diagnosis list is essential for an early diagnosis in the pediatric age group.