Management of colorectal cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background This study evaluated the clinicopathological features and survival rates of patients with inflammatory bowel disease who developed colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods A retrospective review was performed on a prospectively maintained institutional database (1981–2011) to identify patients with inflammatory bowel disease who developed CRC. Clinicopathological parameters, management and outcomes were analysed. Results A total of 2,843 patients with inflammatory bowel disease were identified. One thousand six hundred and forty-two had ulcerative colitis (UC) and 1,201 had Crohn’s disease (CD). Following exclusion criteria, there were 29 patients with biopsy-proven colorectal carcinoma, 22 of whom had UC and 7 had CD. Twenty-six patients had a preoperative diagnosis of malignancy/dysplasia; 16 of these were diagnosed at surveillance endoscopy. Nodal/distant metastasis was identified at presentation in 47 and 71 % of the UC and CD group, respectively. Operative morbidity for UC and CD was 33 and 17 %, respectively. Despite the less favourable operative outcomes following surgery management of UC-related CRC, overall 5-year survival was significantly better in the UC group compared to the CD group (41 vs. 29 %; p = 0.04) reflecting the difference in stage at presentation between the two groups. Conclusions Patients who undergo surgery for UC-related CRC have less favourable short-term outcomes but present at a less advanced stage and have a more favourable long-term prognosis than similar patients with CRC and CD.