Site distribution of colorectal adenocarcinomas. A retrospective study of 853 tumours.

The site distribution of 853 histologically verified colorectal adenocarcinomas diagnosed at a Norwegian regional hospital from 1964 through 1978 was studied retrospectively. There was a notable increase in the annual number of diagnosed tumours from the first to the last 5-year period of the study. No significant change in site distribution could be found. Men had a higher proportion of rectal cancer than women (43% versus 31%) and a lower proportion of tumours of the right and transverse colon (29% versus 38%). Significant differences in site distributions between men and women, however, were found only in the age group above 60 years. Of the colorectal tumours in the present series 20% were within the reach of the examining finger on rectal examination.