Cancer

IBD is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. The risk begins with levels comparable to the general populations then gradually rises over time. A number of risk factors in IBD increase the chance of developing cancer, these include:

• Disease duration (this risk surpasses the general population’s 8–10 years after symptom onset and then continues to rise 0.5–1% each year: the degree of longstanding inflammation)
• Family history of cancer (history among first-degree relatives – parents, siblings, or children)
• Strictures
• Presence of inflammatory pseudopolyps
• Primary sclerosing chonlangitis (a liver disease associated with IBD)

Preventative factors

Research shows a favourable role of the anti-inflammatory drug Mesalazine (also known as 5-ASA or 5-aminosalicylic acid) in the prevention of cancer and dysplasia (abnormal development or growth of tissues, organs, or cells) in patients with UC

What can I do?

Colonoscopy surveillance: Patients at risk are advised to have regular colonoscopies with multiple biopsies at intervals ranging from every 3 months (following abnormal biopsies) to every 1-2 years (following normal biopsies) for the rest of their life. A technique called chromoendoscopy to highlight irregularities in the lining is now favoured.