To evaluate the influence of age on clinical presentation and pathological staging in colorectal cancer.

Retrospective chart review.

University hospital.

The medical records of 216 patients aged ≥50years with colorectal cancer treated between 2006 and 2012 were reviewed. Patients were stratified by age into two groups: 50–64 years and ≥65 years. Clinical presentation and pathological staging were compared between the two groups.

The older group comprised 116 patients with a mean age of 71.13±4.72years, and the younger group, 100 patients with a mean age of 56.97±4.55. Older and younger adults had similar rates of lower gastrointestinal bleeding (72 vs. 67%, P=0.4389), changes in bowel habit (72 vs. 68%, P=0.5375), and weight loss (55 vs. 53%, P=0.6979). Abdominal pain was less common in the older group (53 vs. 68%, P=0.0028). On multivariate analysis, age did not influence the time elapsed since symptom onset, pathological stage T3/T4, or final pathological stage III/IV.

Older patients reported a lower frequency of abdominal pain, but time from symptom onset to diagnosis and pathological staging were similar to those of younger patients.