Increased prevalence of colonic adenomas in patients with cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common lethal genetic illness in the Caucasian population. Studies have shown that CF patients are at an elevated risk of developing colon cancer. Colonic adenomas are the precursors of colon cancer. This study aims to determine the prevalence of adenomas in patients with cystic fibrosis.

All patients were recruited prospectively at The Ottawa Hospital Cystic Fibrosis Clinic from 2010 through 2015. Baseline demographic and cystic fibrosis disease characteristics were collected from the clinic's CF patient database. Upon presentation at the endoscopy unit, and after a brief history and physical exam, a colonoscopy was performed. Polyps were resected if detected and sent to the pathology department for characterization. Findings were compared with a control group (pairing each CF patient with 5 age and sex-matched controls) of near-average risk patients who underwent a colonoscopy at the same center.

Of the 33 patients that provided informed consent to participate in the study, 30 patients underwent colonoscopy and 13/30 (43.3%) were found to have colonic adenomas compared to 7 (4.7%) of the 150 control patients. The relative risk ratio for adenoma detection in a CF patient as compared to a matched control patient was 9.29 (95% CI 4.04-21.31), p<0.01.

Colonic adenomas are more prevalent in CF patients compared to the general population. This study suggests the need for additional research to support recently published screening guidelines for CF patients.