INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE AND COLON-CANCER - A REVIEW

Extensive and long-standing colitis due to Crohn's disease and ulcerat ive colitis is associated with an increased incidence of colorectal ca ncer. Colonoscopy with biopsies for mucosal dysplasia can help stratif y those patients who are at increased risk. However, the effectiveness of surveillance programs has been questioned. Newer molecular techniq ues may eventually lead to the development of more accurate screening tools, but at this time there is not enough evidence to support their widespread use.