An In-Depth Analysis of Colorectal Cancer in Erbil: Demographic Factors, Regional Disparities, Treatment Approaches and Genetic Studies

Barzngy, Basak; Hasan, Bestoon; Housein, Zjwan; Rasul, Khder H; Salihi, Abbas

doi:10.30476/mejc.2025.103890.2157

An In-Depth Analysis of Colorectal Cancer in Erbil: Demographic Factors, Regional Disparities, Treatment Approaches and Genetic Studies

Document Type : Original Article(s)

Authors

Basak Barzngy ¹

Bestoon Hasan ²

Zjwan Housein ³

Khder H Rasul ⁴^{, 5}

Abbas Salihi ⁴^{, 6}

¹ Rizgary Oncology Center Hawler, Erbil, Iraq

² Awat Radiation Oncology Center, Erbil, Iraq

³ Department of Medical Laboratory, Laboratory Technology Erbil Technical Health and Medical College, Erbil Polytechnic University, Erbil, Iraq

⁴ Department of Biology, College of Science, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

⁵ Medical Analysis Department, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq

⁶ Center of Research and Strategic Studies, Lebanese French University, Erbil, Iraq

https://doi.org/10.30476/mejc.2025.103890.2157

Abstract

Backgroud: This study explores sex, age, histological subtype, cancer stages, treatment methods and genetic studies (mutation and expression) of Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC), Kirsten Rat Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homolog (KRAS), Tumor Protein 53 (TP53) and Deleted in Colorectal Cancer (DCC) genes for colorectal cancer (CRC).
Method: In this retrospective research study, 2625 CRC patients were included. The study spanned 11 years, from 2013 to 2023, and revealed fascinating trends and patterns within each category. GraphPad Prism version 9.0. (GraphPad Software, Inc.) was used to analyze acquired data. T test was used for the comparison between two groups. A P-value of 0.05 or below was considered statistically significant.
Results: The data demonstrate a considerable rise in CRC incidences throughout the study's period, peaking in 2021 and men outnumbered women annually. The age-based analysis showed individuals of all ages were vulnerable to CRC, with the number of cases rising until peaking at 60. Histologically, colon cancer was more common than rectal cancer, and adenocarcinoma was the most common subtype. Most cases were grade 2 based on tumor (T), node (N) and metastasis (M) staging system, with T3N1M0 and T3N2M0 being the most prevalent subtypes. The majority CRC patients received curative treatments. Regarding genetic studies of CRC related APC, KRAS, TP53 and DCC genes in International Cancer Genome Consortium databases, APC had the most mutations, with single-base substitutions being predominant. In the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer database, KRAS had the highest mutations which included 8 missense substitutions. Regarding gene expression, public database Gene Expression Database of Normal and Tumor Tissues 2 showed significant differences between the four selected genes in CRC as compared with the normal tissue.
Conclusion: The study results highlight the complex nature of CRC and its prevalence and treatment. The genetic studies of CRC in databases revealed that APC and KRAS had the most mutations and gene expression analysis indicated significant differences between CRC and normal tissue for the selected genes.

Highlights

Bestoon Hasan (google scholar)

Khder Rasul (google scholar)

Keywords

Colorectal neoplasms

APC gene

KRAS gene

TP53 gene

DCC gene

Subjects

Cancer Biology/Genetics

How to cite this article:

Barzngy B, Hasan B, Housein Z, Rasul K, Salihi A. An in-depth analysis of colorectal cancer in erbil: Demographic factors, regional disparities, treatment approaches and genetic studies. Middle East J Cancer. 2026; 17(2): 163-74. doi: 10.30476/mejc.2025. 103890.2157.

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