EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL PROFILE AND TREATMENT OUTCOME OF COLON CANCER IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS
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Keywords
Colon cancer, epidemiology, clinicopathology, carcinoembryonic antigen
Abstract
Background: Colon cancer is an emerging health concern in India, with limited data on its epidemiological and clinicopathological characteristics. This study aimed to analyze the demographic profile, clinical features, pathological findings, and treatment outcomes of colon cancer patients managed at a tertiary care center.
Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on 43 patients diagnosed with colon cancer. Demographic, clinical, histopathological, and treatment-related data were collected from hospital records. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26.0, and variables were compared using appropriate tests, with p < 0.05 considered significant.
Results: The mean age of patients was 51.5 years, with most cases occurring in the 41–60 year age group. Males constituted 55.8% of the cohort. Family history of malignancy was rare (2.3%). The ascending colon/hepatic flexure and sigmoid colon were the most frequent sites of involvement. Abdominal pain was the predominant symptom (95.3%), followed by altered bowel habits (53.5%), weight loss (48.8%), and anemia (30.2%). Adenocarcinoma was the most common histological subtype (93%). More than half of the patients (51.2%) presented with stage IV disease, with frequent metastases to the peritoneum (59.1%), lymph nodes (54.5%), and liver (22.7%). Mean baseline CEA was 130.7 ng/mL, with extreme elevations in a subset of patients. Treatment intent was nearly equally divided between curative (48.8%) and palliative (51.2%).
Conclusion: Colon cancer in this cohort primarily affected middle-aged adults, was mostly sporadic, and commonly presented at advanced stages with a high metastatic burden. These findings highlight the urgent need for early detection, routine screening, and integration of molecular profiling to improve outcomes in Indian patients.
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Arth Shah
Senior Resident, Department of Medical Oncology, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore.
Hemendra Mishra
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore.
Rajesh Patidar
Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore.
Vikas Asati
Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore.
Archit Jain
Senior Resident, Department of Medical Oncology, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore.
Anirudh Singh
Senior Resident, Department of Medical Oncology, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore.
Astha Parmar
Senior Resident, Department of Medical Oncology, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore.
Col. P.G Chitalkar
Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore.