Table 1.

Features and symptoms/signs of incident cases of colorectal cancer, according with tumor’s location

	Total N = 942		Colon N = 650		Rectum N = 292
	Mean ± SD	Median	Mean ± SD	Median	Mean ± SD	Median	P
Age, years	68.0 ± 11.4	69	68.0 ± 11.5	69	68.1 ± 11.0	68	0.922
	N	%
Gender							0.236
Male	502	53.3 %	338	52.0 %	164	56.2 %
Female	440	46.7 %	312	48.0 %	128	43.8 %
Stage							<0.001
I	113	13.2 %	60	10.0 %	53	20.9 %
II	300	35.0 %	226	37.5 %	74	29.1 %
III	271	31.7 %	194	32.2 %	77	30.3 %
IV	172	20.1 %	122	20.3 %	50	19.7 %
Unknown	86	-	48	-	38	-
Symptoms/signs before diagnosisa
Rectal bleeding	560	59.4 %	306	47.1 %	254	87.0 %	<0.001
Change in bowel habits	489	51.9 %	321	49.5 %	168	57.5 %	0.022
Abdominal pain	454	48.2 %	393	60.6 %	61	20.9 %	<0.001
Constitutional syndrome	454	48.2 %
Rectal tenesmus	163	17.3 %	59	9.1 %	104	35.6 %	<0.001
Anemia	126	13.4 %	107	16.5 %	19	6.5 %	<0.001
Bowel obstruction	124	13.2 %	115	17.7 %	9	3.1 %	<0.001
Abdominal mass	57	6.1 %	51	7.9 %	6	2.1 %	0.001
Mucorrhage	48	5.1 %	30	4.6 %	18	6.2 %	0.320
Rectal pain	38	4.0 %	7	1.1 %	31	10.6 %	<0.001
Bowel perforation	29	3.1 %	26	4.0 %	3	1.0 %	0.014
Intra-abdominal abscess	16	1.7 %	14	2.2 %	2	0.7 %	0.106
Rectovaginal fistula	4	0.4 %	3	0.5 %	1	0.3 %	0.999
Hematuria	3	0.3 %	3	0.5 %	0	0 %	0.556
Fecal urgency	2	0.2 %	1	0.3 %	1	0.2 %	0.525
Fecal incontinence	2	0.2 %	1	0.3 %	1	0.2 %	0.525
Anal fistula	2	0.2 %	1	0.3 %	1	0.2 %	0.525
Fecaluria	1	0.1 %	1	0.2 %	0	0 %	0.999

SD Standard Deviation

^aMore than one symptom or sign could be registered before diagnosis for the same patient