IBD and malignancies: The gender matters

Abstract

The lifetime risk of cancer is on the rise due to increasing life expectancy and the high prevalence boosts people’s concern about their individual risk. This is especially true for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), having a lifelong chronic intestinal inflammation and being frequently under immunosuppressive therapy. Both situations are known to possibly increase the cancer risk. The clinicians engaged with these patients should be informed about the increased risk of malignancies as compared to the background population and eventually the excess risk secondary to medical therapy [ [1] Annese V. Beaugerie L. Egan L. Biancone L. Bolling C. Brandts C. et al. European evidence-based consensus: inflammatory bowel disease and malignancies. J Crohns Colitis. 2015; 9: 945-965 Crossref PubMed Scopus (263) Google Scholar , [2] Beaugerie L. Itzkovitz S.H. Cancers complicating inflammatory bowel disease. New Engl J Med. 2015; 372: 1441-1452 Crossref PubMed Scopus (342) Google Scholar ]. Vulvar and vaginal neoplasia in women with inflammatory bowel diseaseDigestive and Liver DiseaseVol. 52Issue 2PreviewImmunosuppressive drugs are the cornerstone in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), however they are associated with an increased risk of extra-intestinal cancer. Whether the risk for female genital tract malignancies, including vulvar and vaginal cancer, is increased is less clear. Our aim was to investigate the risk of these malignancies in IBD-patients. Histopathological data of all IBD patients with a vulvar or vaginal (pre-)cancerous lesion were retrieved from the Dutch nationwide network and registry of histopathology and cytopathology from 1991 to 2015. Full-Text PDF