Characteristics of Colorectal Cancer Among Asian Americans

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is third in mortality rate amongst Asian Americans. However, CRC characteristics in this patient population have been poorly defined. A retrospective review at an urban tertiary hospital located in an underserved region was performed to determine CRC characteristics for Asian Americans in comparison to other races. Four hundred fourteen patients were represented by Hispanics (n = 161), African Americans (n = 101), Asians (n = 83), and Whites (n = 69). The majority of Asian American patients (n = 70, 84%) presented with a left-sided lesion. This proportion was higher than that seen in African Americans (59%, P < 0.0003), Hispanics (66%, P < 0.0033), and Whites (63%, P < 0.0036). Thirty-six Asian American patients presented with Stage III disease which was the most frequent presenting stage for this patient population and also statistically higher than all the other races. Furthermore, Asian Americans in this study still presented predominantly with left-sided lesions and in a more advanced stage. These findings suggest a potential benefit of initially offering flexible sigmoidoscopy given the decreased compliance among Asian Americans to obtain routine CRC screening. Ultimately, this modality may be more acceptable, leading to higher compliance for CRC screening in Asian Americans without likely degradation in cancer detection rates.