Histopathology of colorectal carcinomas and adenomas in cancer family syndrome

Seventy-five colorectal carcinoma patients (100 separate cancers) with verified cancer family syndrome were re-examined for the evaluation of histologic characteristics in carcinomas and adenomatous polyps in this inherited syndrome in a comparison with control patients with colorectal carcinoma but no hereditary background. In the cancer family syndrome group there were significantly more mucinous carcinomas (35 to 39 percent vs. 20 percent;P<0.05–0.01), and also more poorly differentiated tumors (24 vs. 12 percent) than in the control group. The differences could not be explained by the site or stage of the tumors or by the age or sex of the patients. Additional adenomas occurred quite often both in cancer family syndrome patients (19 percent) and in the controls (16 percent). In the cancer family syndrome group, however, there were more adenomas with moderate or severe dysplasia (P<0.01) and more adenomas with villous features (P<0.05) than in the control group. Mucinous histologic features in colorectal carcinoma, although not fully specific, might be characteristic of cancer family syndrome, and thus serve as one sign in the indentification of the syndrome. The presence of the adenoma-carcinoma sequence in cancer family syndrome also was supported, and the histologic aggressivity of the associated adenomas might signify an accelerated advancement of this phenomenon in cancer family syndrome. Supported by the Finnish Cancer Foundation.