Ulcerative colitis-associated carcinogenesis : An update

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is achronic inflammatory bowel disease beginning in the rectum and gradually extending to the right-sided colon and the terminal ileum (backwash-ileitis). Its causes are still not completely understood. Genetic susceptibility, changes in the microbiota and immune response, as well as environmental factors are thought to influence the disease course.Patients with UC are at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) when compared to an age-matched normal population. Cancer risk increases with early onset, duration, and extent of the disease, with development of strictures, intraepithelial neoplasia, and concomitant primary sclerosing cholangitis.In contrast to the sporadic adenoma-carcinoma-sequence, UC-related CRC develops through an inflammation-intraepithelial neoplasia-carcinoma-sequence, in which genetic alterations already occur in the inflamed epithelium before the development of intraepithelial neoplasia.This article summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding UC-related carcinogenesis and its possible impact on prevention and therapy.