Colonoscopy Is Associated With a Reduced Risk for Colon Cancer and Mortality in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

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.