Colorectal Cancer in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and Surveillance

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) is associated with an increased risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). Chronic mucosal inflammation is a key factor in the onset of carcinogenesis in IBD patients. Although most gene alterations that cause sporadic CRCs also occur in patients with IBD-associated CRC, some gene sequences and mutation frequencies differ between sporadic CRCs and IBD-associated CRCs.