The continuing uncertainty about cancer risk in inflammatory bowel disease

Introduction An increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) among individuals with IBD was suggested in the 1920s and later supported by epidemiologic studies.1 The association between IBD and CRC is not thought to arise from shared risk factors,2 but rather from a causal effect of IBD on CRC through chronic inflammation and other mechanisms that promote malignant transformation of the colonic mucosa.3 As a result, patients with IBD are considered at high risk of CRC and therefore receive anti-inflammatory treatment, colonoscopic surveillance with biopsies and prophylactic colectomy. Multiple reviews and meta-analyses have tried to estimate CRC risk in patients with IBD (see table 1 for a summary from six such analyses4–9) and several additional studies were published during the last year.10–13

Source: Gut - May 9, 2016 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Adami, H.-O., Bretthauer, M., Emilsson, L., Hernan, M. A., Kalager, M., Ludvigsson, J. F., Ekbom, A. Tags: Endoscopy, Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis, Pancreas and biliary tract, Colon cancer Leading article Source Type: research