Primary solid tumors of the colon and rectum in the pediatric patient: a review of 270 cases.

Objective: To study the outcomes of solid tumors of the colon and rectum in pediatric patients.

Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (1973-2005) was queried for patients less than 20 y of age.

Results: Overall, 270 patients with malignant tumors of the lower gastrointestinal tract were identified. The annual incidence was 1.04 cases per million in 2005. Overall, equal distribution between boys (50.7%) and girls (49.3%) was observed. The majority of tumors arose in adolescents (68.1% were older than 15 y). Tumors were more commonly seen in white (77.8%) and non-Hispanic (78.9%) patients. Tumors were identified in the right colon (45.9%), transverse colon (9.3%), left colon (20.4%), rectum (15.2%), and anal canal (1.1%). The most common histology of these tumors was adenocarcinoma (35.6%), followed by carcinoid (34.1%). Disease specific 5- and 10-y-survival for the entire cohort was 61.0% and 57.9%, respectively. Multivariate analysis of the cohort identified tumor stage (HR 8.39, P < 0.001 for distant disease), tumor type (signet ring HR 2.12, P = 0.025, and carcinoid HR = 0.14, P = 0.001), and surgical resection (no surgery HR 2.98, P = 0.010) as independent predictors of worse outcome.

Conclusion: In the pediatric population, solid tumors of the colon and rectum occur more frequently in the right side of the colon in teenagers. Surgical resection significantly improves survival for most pediatric tumors of the lower gastrointestinal tract.