Introduction: Colorectal cancer is a major global public health issue, both in terms of its prevalence and its rising incidence. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence, sociodemographic profile, and pathological characteristics of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer via endoscopy in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving retrospective data collection over a ten-year period from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2024 in the gastrointestinal endoscopy units of the HepatoGastroenterolgy Department at Sourô Sanou University Hospital Center and six private facilities. All patients in whom colon and/or rectal cancer was confirmed following endoscopy and histopathological examination were included. Variables studied included sociodemographic data, indications for examination, endoscopic and histological findings. Data were entered into a data entry form created using Kobotoolbox software and analyzed on a computer using R and SPSS® version 25. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the means and standard deviations of quantitative variables as well as the proportions of the various conditions.

Results: During the study period, on 1,979 lower gastrointestinal endoscopies, 87 patients (4.4%) had colorectal cancers. There was a predominance of males, with 52 men (59.8%). The mean age was 51.8 ± 16.02 years. The main indications were hematochezia (40.2%) and the prescribing physician’s suspicion of a colorectal tumor (20.7%). The tumors most commonly had an ulcerative-budding appearance (63.5%), a hemorrhagic appearance (32.3%), or an exophytic appearance (26%). On histological examination, the most common types were Lieberkühnian adenocarcinoma and mucinous adenocarcinoma, accounting for 68 (78.2%) and 14 (16.1%) cases, respectively. Regarding differentiation, 42 (48.3%) were well-differentiated tumors.

Conclusion: Nearly half of patients affected by colorectal cancer are men under 50 years of age and presenting with hematochezia. Tumor are detected at a late stage, appear as ulcerative-budding lesions on endoscopy, and well-differentiated type on histological analysis.