Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Childhood Tied to Higher Cancer Risk Later

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, DFASAM

Children diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face increased cancer risk in both childhood and adulthood, according to a study in The BMJ.

Using Swedish national registries, researchers followed over 9400 children who were diagnosed with IBD between 1964 and 2014. The median age at diagnosis was 15, and at follow-up, 27.

The incidence of any cancer was significantly higher among IBD patients than among population-based controls (3.3 vs. 1.5 per 1000 person-years). In particular, risk increases were highest for liver, colorectal, small bowel, nonmelanoma skin, and lymphoid cancers. Risk was higher with younger age at diagnosis; elevated risk persisted beyond 5 years post-diagnosis.

The authors note that the excess cancer risk "has not decreased since the introduction of thiopurines or biological therapies." They add, "We suggest that extent and duration of chronic inflammation might be the main driving mechanisms underlying the increased risk of cancer."