Aneuploidy Predicts Progression of Flat Low-Grade Dysplasia in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Aneuploidy, or the presence of multiple copies of chromosomes, has been associated with worse prognosis in ulcerative colitis. In the current retrospective analysis, researchers assessed aneuploidy and progression to high-grade dysplasia or colorectal cancer in 37 patients with ulcerative colitis in whom flat low-grade dysplasia was diagnosed at a single U.S. medical center.

The mean follow-up was 37 months. Aneuploidy was detected in 41% of samples of flat low-grade dysplasia and in 93% of samples from 10 patients with high-grade dysplasia. The rates of high-grade dysplasia or colorectal cancer at 1, 4, and 12 years of follow-up in the patients with flat low-grade dysplasia and aneuploidy were 57%, 57%, and 100%, respectively. When aneuploi…