Imaging Features of Gastrointestinal Neoplasms Complicating Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory diseases affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Patients with IBD, besides other non-neoplastic complications, are also at increased risk of GI malignancies such as colorectal cancer, small bowel adenocarcinoma and lymphoma. The principal purpose of imaging in patients with IBD to assess complications and to stage a clinically known cancer. In addition, the goal of imaging has expanded to include the diagnosis of GI malignancies in clinical situations where colonoscopy cannot be performed or is incomplete. In addition, imaging allows the detection of cancers in patients where the development of either disease-related or treatment-related neoplasia is clinically suspected. The purpose of this review is to present the different imaging techniques used to detect GI malignancies in IBD patients and describe the radiological appearances of GI malignancies in IBD patients.