Dr Thandinkosi Madiba talks to ecancer at the 2013 AORTIC meeting in Durban, South Africa about colorectal cancer in South Africa.

Colorectal cancer is amongst the top ten cancers in South Africa. The study looked at a total of 485 patients were  where the average age was 62.97 14.97 years and Africans were significantly younger than all the other groups combined .

The most common site in all population groups was the rectum followed by the sigmoid colon and the right colon with resection rates of 50% (African), 68% (Indian), and 69% (Coloured) and 7% (White). Staging was similar in the different population groups namely: stage I, stage II , stage III, stage IV. Amongst Africans 25% were 40 years, and the African population represented 66% of all the cases who were 40 years of age.

The study found that colorectal cancer is an established disease that presents earlier among Africans and has a variable clinicopathological spectrum.

Dr Madiba also discusses how affordable screening methods could reduce mortality from colorectal cancer.