Increased Risk of Left Sided Colon Cancer in Patients with Diverticular Disease

Overview

Journal Gut

Specialty Gastroenterology

Date 1993 Apr 1

PMID 8491397

Citations 33

Authors

T Stefansson

A Ekbom

P Sparen

L Pahlman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Certain similar epidemiological characteristics suggest a common aetiology for colon cancer and diverticulosis of the colon. The hypothesis that patients with diverticulosis are at increased risk of developing colon cancer was tested in a retrospective, population based, cohort study in Sweden. A total of 7159 patients (2478 men and 4681 women) who had been given a hospital discharge diagnosis of diverticulosis or diverticulitis of the colon between 1965 and 1983 were followed up during 1985 by means of record linkage procedures. After excluding the first 2 years of follow up, there was not a significant increase in risk (SIR) overall for colon cancer (SIR = 1.2; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.9, 1.6) or for rectal cancer (SIR = 1.1; 95% CI 0.7, 1.7). The observed number of right sided colon cancers was as expected (SIR = 0.9; 95% CI 0.5, 1.5). In contrast, an increased risk of left sided colon cancer was found both overall (SIR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.1, 2.7) and consistently in men and women as well as in different age groups. This risk increased the longer the follow up (p value for trend < 0.001). These results do not support the hypothesis of a common aetiology in diverticular disease and colonic cancer but suggest a causal relationship between diverticular disease and cancer of the left colon.

Citing Articles

A multicentre study assessing the role of routine colonoscopy after acute uncomplicated diverticulitis and the incidence of colorectal cancer diagnosis.

Singh K, Liptrot S, Tou S, Mehigan B, McCormick P, Ravi N Int J Colorectal Dis. 2023; 38(1):84.

PMID: 36976397 DOI: 10.1007/s00384-023-04374-0.

Time Trend and Association of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer with Diverticular Disease in the United States: 2010-2021.

Wang L, Xu R, Kaelber D, Berger N Cancers (Basel). 2022; 14(19).

PMID: 36230874 PMC: 9563394. DOI: 10.3390/cancers14194948.

Diverticulitis does not increase the long-term risk of developing colon cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mortensen L, Buciek J, Andresen K, Rosenberg J Int J Colorectal Dis. 2022; 37(9):1945-1952.

PMID: 36042030 DOI: 10.1007/s00384-022-04246-z.

Post-Diverticulitis Colonoscopy Was Not Associated with Higher Colonic Adenoma and Carcinoma: A Multicenter Case-Control Study.

Mari A, Khoury T, Sbeit W Medicina (Kaunas). 2021; 57(7).

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Is there need for routine CT colonography after CT-verified uncomplicated diverticulitis of the sigmoid colon?.

Njolstad T, Young V, Drolsum A, Dormagen J, Hofstad B, Schulz A Eur J Radiol Open. 2021; 8:100341.

PMID: 33898653 PMC: 8053813. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejro.2021.100341.

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