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LT patients with cirrhosis had increased risk for colorectal neoplasia

Patients with viral or alcohol-related cirrhosis awaiting liver transplantation and who underwent colonoscopy were at high risk for developing colorectal neoplasia, according to new study data.

Researchers analyzed data from colonoscopy screenings of two cohorts of 1,134 adult patients awaiting liver transplantation to determine if cirrhosis was a risk factor for colorectal neoplasia. One group consisted of patients with cirrhosis (n=567) and the other was a control group matched for BMI, age, sex, smoking and diabetes (n=567). Each group was 72.3% men; median age was 54 years.

Through retrospective analysis, researchers found that a greater number of patients with cirrhosis had adenomas (29.3% vs. 21.5%; RR=1.36; 95% CI, 1.09-1.69), and they had even greater advanced adenoma detection rates (AADR; 13.9% vs. 7.7%; RR=1.82; 95% CI, 1.25-2.64) compared with controls.

Among patients with viral or alcohol-related cirrhosis, a greater amount displayed neoplasias (34.4% vs. 25.3%; P=.035) and AADR (16.7% vs. 10.2%; P=.0409) compared with patients in the control group. Adenomas were found in 27.8% of patients with viral cirrhosis compared with 15.9% of control patients (P=.0061). Rates for advanced adenoma detection were 13.6% among patients with viral cirrhosis compared with 5% in controls (P=.0041)

“Patients with alcoholic and viral cirrhosis had a higher prevalence of colorectal neoplasia than matched controls,” the researchers wrote. “While colonoscopy is not mandatory in every pre-liver transplant evaluation system, we would clearly recommend performing it in patients of 40 years old or older, especially in those with alcoholic and viral cirrhosis.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.