5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  In a multicenter study of 84 patients diagnosed by age 21, 80% had stage III or IV colorectal cancer at diagnosis.

• 2

  Only 20% of patients had a first- or second-degree relative with colorectal cancer, and the median age at diagnosis was 16.5 years.

• 3

  Abdominal or back pain was the most common presenting symptom, reported by 74% of patients; median symptom duration before diagnosis was 12 weeks.

• 4

  Tumors often had aggressive features: 42% were poorly differentiated, one-third had signet ring features, and 39% had mucinous features.

• 5

  Disease recurred in 37% of patients, typically within 11 months, and 45% died from colorectal cancer during the study period.