Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, CROHNS DISEASE, ADENOCARCINOMA, PREVENTION, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 3202 Clinical sciences

Abstract:

The predisposition of patients with extensive Crohn's disease of long duration and/or with obstructed or bypassed loops of bowel to develop intestinal cancer is generally accepted, although the size of the risk is not precisely known and the absolute number of cases remains small. General guidelines for surveillance are difficult to formulate because different segments of the bowel may be affected. At present, prevention strategy is based on surgical resection of extensive disease, avoiding bypass operation. Areas of dysplasia have been described in Crohn's disease and their early detection by colonoscopy with biopsy may facilitate earlier diagnosis. The search for aneuploidy and for new markers such as oncogenes may be helpful in the future, but individual management of patients remains difficult. © Current Science Ltd.