Mucinous component in colorectal carcinomas

In this retrospective study, we reviewed materials from 141 colorectal carcinomas that were diagnosed as adenocarcinoma in Pathology Department of Uludağ University and were resected by the Surgery Department physicians.

The cases were separated as nonmucinous and mucinous adenocarcinomas. The mucinous carcinomas were separated into subgroups according to the amount of mucinous component (less than 25%, 25-50%, more than 50%) in the tumor and the presence of the secretion intracellularly or extracellularly (signet ring cell and mucinous carcinoma, respectively).

The correlations among age, sex, localization, grade and stage were evaluated within groups.

Of 141 cases, 90 (63.0%) of the colorectal carcinomas were nonmucinous and 51 (36.2%) had mucinous component. 21.5% of the cases with mucinous component (11 cases) were younger than 40 years of age and 70.5% had advanced stage disease (stage 3- 4). Both sexes were affected equally in mucinous carcinomas and the most common location was rectosigmoid followed by the right colon.