Trends in the anatomical distribution of colorectal carcinoma in Hawaii, 1960-1978.

The incidence of colorectal adenocarcinoma increased in the five major ethnic groups in Hawaii, but more in men than women. The highest rates were in the Chinese and Japanese. The site-specific time trend patterns revealed that the greatest increase occurred in rectosigmoid cancer, followed by cancer of the sigmoid colon and the transverse descending colon. Rectal cancer had minimal changes in rates over time. The comparison of site-specific rates between the Japanese in Hawaii and Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, showed that the occurrence of cancer of the rectosigmoid, sigmoid, and transverse descending colon was far greater in Hawaii than Miyagi with minimal differences in the rates of rectal cancer. The findings from this study indicate that the separate anatomical locations of colorectal cancer probably have some distinct etiologies that need further investigation.