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Colectomy rates have fallen for CRC in patients with ulcerative colitis
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LAS VEGAS — Rates of colectomies for colorectal cancer among patients with ulcerative colitis have fallen sharply since 2003, according to research presented at Crohn’s & Colitis Congress 2019.
Sherman Picardo, MD, of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unit at the University of Calgary in Canada said there are several risk factors for CRC associated with UC.
“The most significant is the extent and duration of disease activity, as it is felt that chronic inflammation promotes dysplastic change,” he said during his presentation.
Researchers explored trends in colectomy rates in a population-based prevalent cohort of patients with UC from Alberta, Canada between 2003 and 2015. They identified patients admitted for colectomy and with a diagnosis of UC and calculated annual incidence by dividing the total number of colectomies for cancer by the at-risk number of prevalent patients with UC each fiscal year.
Investigators found that 112 patients with UC underwent colectomies during the study period, and the annual colectomy rate was 1.32 per 1,000 patients. The rate was higher among men and in increasing age categories.
Picardo and colleagues found that there was significant reduction in colectomy rates over time (IRR = 0.914; 95% CI, 0.868-0.961), and there was an annual reduction of 8.6% between 2003 and 2015.
“This decline is likely attributable to the development and utilization of surveillance programs and improvements in the treatment options for patients,” Picardo said. “Future prospective studies, however, are needed to evaluate the efficacy of surveillance programs in the detection of dysplasia, as well as long-term survival outcomes.”
Reference:
Picardo S, et al. Abstract 07. Presented at: Crohn’s & Colitis Congress; Feb. 7-9, 2019; Las Vegas.
Disclosure: Picardo reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the meeting disclosure index for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.