Polypectomy is adequate treatment for adenoma-like dysplastic lesions (DALMs) in Crohn's disease

The purpose of this study was to reevaluate the clinical and pathologic features and outcomes in patients with Crohn's disease with an adenoma-like dysplasia-associated lesion or mass (DALMs) to determine if polypectomy is adequate treatment.

The clinical, endoscopic and pathologic features, and outcomes of 50 patients with Crohn's disease, each with ≥1 adenoma-like DALM were evaluated. The median length of follow-up was 39 months (range: 0.5-156 months).

Of the 50 patients with Crohn's disease (male to female ratio, 30:20; median age: 53 years; median duration of disease: 83 months), 11 had ileal disease, 26 had colonic disease, and 13 had both ileal and colonic disease. Approximately 43% of polyps occurred within areas of previous or concurrent colitis, whereas 57% occurred in areas not previously involved by colitis. Most polyps had tubular architecture and contained low-grade dysplasia. Of the patients who had polypectomy followed by surveillance, 45% developed new adenoma-like DALMs, but none developed flat dysplasia and only 1 had adenocarcinoma at the time of resection, which was within 3 months of polypectomy. There were no differences in the clinical or pathologic features or outcomes in patients who had adenoma-like DALMs within versus outside areas of previous or concurrent colitis, except that the former showed a higher risk of developing new polyps within areas of colitis and near the site of the original polyp compared with the latter.

Patients with Crohn's disease who develop an adenoma-like DALM, regardless of its location in relationship to previous or concurrent colitis, may be treated safely with polypectomy and continued surveillance.