[Colo-rectal cancer in the elderly]

Abstract

From September 1981 to December 1988, fiberoptic colonoscopy was performed in 4595 subjects, among whom 476 colorectal cancers were found. Among 692 subjects with ages beyond sixty, 164 (23.7%) colo-rectal cancers were discovered. This study shows that the median age of colo-rectal cancer has increased by 7 years from 45 of the 1950s to the 1970s. The incidence of cancer of the ascending colon is higher (8.5%) in subjects older than 60. It should be noted that 124 out of 164 (75.6%) patients had been misdiagnosed. With prolonging life expectancy in the Chinese population, we strongly advise fibercolonoscopy for the early detection of colo-rectal cancer in the elderly.