Carcinoma of the colon in the adolescent: a report of survival and an analysis of the literature.

A case of adenocarcinoma of the transverse colon in a fourteen year old girl is presented. Five years after radical resection of this Dukes' C2 lesion, the patient is alive and well without recurrent disease. The incidence of large bowel carcinoma in adolescents remains low, but there is an increasing tendency toward neoplasia in younger patients. Factors that affect patient survival included late stage at presentation, delay in treatment, paucity of symptoms, and a higher incidence of tumors of the transverse colon. An increased incidence of colloid carcinoma is noted. The etiology and pathogenesis of large bowel cancer as it pertains to childhood are reviewed.