A case of colorectal cancer in a 14 year old boy

A 14-year-old boy presented with signs and symptoms of acute abdomen in a rural hospital, and at laparotomy was found to have right sided colorectal cancer (CRC).  CRC is thought to be a disease of old people but can occur in the paediatric population with lesser incidence but similar signs and symptoms compared to the former population. Studies have shown that CRC in the young population has unfavorable histology, is aggressive and presents at advanced stage with poor outcome. Ideally, CRC in the young must be treated as early as possible in a multidisciplinary approach.