A New Association with Interval Cancers

Interval cancers refer to colorectal cancers that arise after a colonoscopy. The occurrence of interval cancers has been associated with proximal location, microsatellite instability and the CpG island methylator phenotype, female sex, and endoscopist characteristics of low rates of polypectomy, adenoma detection, and colonoscopy completion. Also, baseline colonoscopy performance by a nongastroenterologist has been linked with increased risk for interval cancers.

To further investigate risk factors for interval cancers, investigators conducted a population-based, case-control study in Germany involving 78 patients with interval cancers occurring 1 to 10 years after a negative colonoscopy, 433 patients with colorectal cancers detected at scre…