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. 2015 Feb;13(2):322-329.e1.
doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2014.07.018. Epub 2014 Jul 17.

Colonoscopy is associated with a reduced risk for colon cancer and mortality in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

Ashwin N Ananthakrishnan  1 , Andrew Cagan  2 , Tianxi Cai  3 , Vivian S Gainer  2 , Stanley Y Shaw  4 , Susanne Churchill  5 , Elizabeth W Karlson  6 , Shawn N Murphy  7 , Isaac Kohane  8 , Katherine P Liao  6
Affiliations

Colonoscopy is associated with a reduced risk for colon cancer and mortality in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

Ashwin N Ananthakrishnan et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

Background & aims: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Surveillance colonoscopy is recommended at 2- to 3-year intervals beginning 8 years after diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, there have been no reports of whether colonoscopy examination reduces the risk for CRC in patients with IBD.

Methods: In a retrospective study, we analyzed data from 6823 patients with IBD (2764 with a recent colonoscopy, 4059 without a recent colonoscopy) seen and followed up for at least 3 years at 2 tertiary referral hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts. The primary outcome was diagnosis of CRC. We examined the proportion of patients undergoing a colonoscopy within 36 months before a diagnosis of CRC or at the end of the follow-up period, excluding colonoscopies performed within 6 months before a diagnosis of CRC, to avoid inclusion of prevalent cancers. Multivariate logistic regression was performed, adjusting for plausible confounders.

Results: A total of 154 patients developed CRC. The incidence of CRC among patients without a recent colonoscopy (2.7%) was significantly higher than among patients with a recent colonoscopy (1.6%) (odds ratio [OR], 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.80). This difference persisted in multivariate analysis (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.93) and was robust when adjusted for a range of assumptions in sensitivity analyses. Among patients with CRC, a colonoscopy within 6 to 36 months before diagnosis was associated with a reduced mortality rate (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.12-0.95).

Conclusions: Recent colonoscopy (within 36 months) is associated with a reduced incidence of CRC in patients with IBD, and lower mortality rates in those diagnosed with CRC.

Keywords: CD; Colon Cancer; Early Detection; Risk Factor; Screening; UC.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial conflicts of interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart depicting flow of patients within the study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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