Early-onset colorectal cancer in pediatric patient
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2026
Yazarlar: Sarp Tunalı, KAMİL ERÖZKAN, Yiğit TÜRK, Ülgen ÇELTİK, Osman BOZBIYIK
Turkish Journal of Surgery, Uluslararası, Scopus, 2026
DOI: 10.47717/turkjsurg.2026.2025-11-4
Özet
Colorectal carcinoma is the 3 rd most common type of cancer worldwide.Its mortality is decreasing due to recently developed and more accessible diagnostic methods.Regarding the age range, colon carcinoma is rare in pediatric patients.Current data indicate that it constitutes 1% of pediatric neoplasms (1).This rarity is actually due to the lack of awareness of genetic diseases.Although symptoms such as anemia and changes in bowel habits seen in early-onset colorectal cancers (CRCs) show similarities across all age groups, in young patients, these findings are frequently attributed to benign conditions.This situation, combined with a lack of clinical suspicion, leads to significant delays in the diagnostic process and the diagnosis of the disease at advanced stages.The prognosis remains poor even in patients who undergo radical surgery.This case report aims to present a 17-year-old patient who had signs of obstruction due to colon cancer and was operated on for this reason. CASE REPORTA 17-year-old female patient with a known diagnosis of cerebral palsy applied to the pediatric surgery department of our center with a history of persistent constipationdiarrhea (change in bowel habits) lasting for the last 4 months, obstructive symptoms continuing for 10 days, anorexia, inability to defecate for 8 days, and nausea and vomiting for the last 3 days.She had multiple hospital admissions in the last six months.A diagnosis could not be made for the patient during these admissions.Routine biochemistry and hemogram tests and plain abdominal X-ray (ADBG) tests had been performed on the patient at an external center.In these tests performed, although no additional pathology was seen on her ADBG, minimal anemia was present in her blood tests.When the patient, who was consulted to us by pediatric surgery, was evaluated; her vital signs were observed to be stable and she had no fever.There had been no stool output for approximately 8 days.