Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026
Flexible Colonoscopy in Mice to Evaluate the Severity of Colitis and Colorectal Tumors Using a Validated Endoscopic Scoring System
Published on: October 16, 2013
Colorectal cancer screening and surveillance in Crohn's colitis
Robert J Basseri1, Benjamin Basseri, Maria E Vassilaki
1Department of Medicine and Division of Gastroenterology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Aims:
To assess colonoscopic screening and surveillance for detecting neoplasia in patients with long-standing colonic Crohn's disease (CD).
Patients And Methods:
Colonoscopy and biopsy records from patients with colonic CD were evaluated at the Cedars-Sinai Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center during a 17-year period (1992-2009).
Results:
Overall, 904 screening and surveillance examinations were performed on 411 patients with Crohn's colitis (mean 2.2 examinations per patient). The screening and surveillance examinations detected neoplasia in 5.6% of the patient population; 2.7% had low-grade dysplasia (LGD) (n=11), 0.7% had high-grade dysplasia (HGD) (n=3), and 2.2% had carcinoma (anal carcinoma n=3; rectal carcinoma n=6). Mean age of CD diagnosis was 25.6±0.8 years in those with normal examinations, compared to 17.7±2.7 years (p<0.001) in those with HGD, 36.85±1.43 in those with LGD (p=0.021) and 28.32±3.24 years in those with any dysplasia/cancer (p=0.034). Disease duration in patients with normal examinations was 19.1±0.5 years, compared to 36.8±4.4 years (p<0.001) in HGD, 16.88±2.59 in those with LGD (p=0.253) and 30.68±4.03 years in those with any dysplasia/cancer (p=0.152). The mean interval between examinations was higher in HGD (31.5±9.4 months) compared to those with normal colonoscopies (12.92±1.250 months; p=0.002).
Conclusions:
We detected cancer or dysplasia in 5.6% of patients with long-standing Crohn's colitis enrolled in a screening and surveillance program. Younger age at diagnosis of CD, longer disease course, and greater interval between exams were risk factors for the development of dysplasia.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Diagnostic Studies and Management I-Nutritional Therapy
Diagnostic studies
A colonoscopy is the definitive screening test, distinguishing ulcerative colitis from other colon diseases with similar symptoms. During a colonoscopy test, inflamed mucosa with exudate ulcerations can be observed, and biopsies are taken to determine the histologic characteristics of the colonic...
01:21Inflammatory Bowel Disease V: Surgical Management
Here are some common surgical interventions for IBD:
01:25Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
01:26Imaging Studies III: Gastrointestinal Motility Studies and Virtual Colonoscopy
Radionuclide Testing
Radionuclide testing is a sophisticated medical technique for assessing gastrointestinal motility. It focuses on gastric emptying and colonic transit time. Radioactive markers track the movement of food through the digestive system, providing insights into gastrointestinal disorders.
In gastric emptying studies, a meal's liquid and solid...
01:25Endoscopic Procedures II: Colonoscopy
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by transmural...