engleski

Coincidence of colorectal cancer and diverticular disease of the colon

Background: Diverticular disease (DD) of the colon and colorectal cancer (CRC) have common characteristics (e.g. more common in the westernized world and in the elderly, similar dietary features implicated for both diseases) and a casual relationship between them has been suggested. Our aim was to evaluate the coincidence of CRC and DD in continental and coastal Croatia as a dietary variability observed in our population – low fiber diet in the continent and Mediterranean diet on the coast creates a favourable situation for the investigation of diseases with suspected nutritional aetiology. Methods: Medical histories of 710 patients from the continental region and 406 from the coastal region diagnosed with CRC from 2011 to 2016 were analyzed with regard to the prevalence of DD. The groups were furthermore divided in different age and sex groups and the prevalence of DD in each group was calculated and compared. Distribution of DD and CRC in the colon for the groups of CRC in concomitance with DD were also analyzed. Results: The prevalence of DD among the CRC group in the coastal region was 32.3% and in the continental region 11.5%. The prevalence of DD in the coastal region was significantly higher in the overall number compared to the continental region as well as in the overall number of men and women, and in the age-stratified group > 65. The left colon was affected more often with DD and CRC in both groups. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that patients with CRC and DD could derive from distinct groups and the effect of the diet has yet to be established.

colorectal cancer, diverticular disease, low-fiber diet, Mediterranean diet

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