Citations

Abstract Background Patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) who have ileal or any small bowel (SB) involvement are at increased risk of developing SB cancer. Due to the rarity of this complication of CD, we aimed to describe the clinical features, presentation, and of small bowel neoplasms (SBN) in patients with CD. Methods A case-control study was performed to include patients ≥18 years old with a diagnosis of CD with or without SBN at a single large referral center from January 1992 to May 2023. Patients were identified using bioinformatics and natural language processing tools, as well as anatomic pathology records. Two age- and sex-matched controls were identified for each case. Results In total, 54 patients with CD and SBN and 108 patients with CD without SBN were identified. Of the cases, most had ileal CD (55.6%) with stricturing (59.3%) phenotype. Median duration of CD prior to SBN diagnosis was 19.5 years. Nonpenetrating/nonstricturing behavior (odds ratio [OR], 9.23; 95% CI, 2.91-29.32; P = .0008) was significantly associated with an increased odds of SBN. History of tobacco use (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.13-0.60; P = .0011) and IBD-associated colonic neoplasia (OR, 0.18; 95%, CI 0.4-0.85; P = .0303) were protective in development of SBN. Conclusions Nonpenetrating/nonstricturing CD appeared to raise SBN risk. History of tobacco use and colonic IBD-associated neoplasia are associated with reduced risk of SBN. Further studies with large sample sizes are needed to determine true incidence and risk factors associated with SBN in CD and assess potentially protective effects of early surgery.

Abstract Background and Aims Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). While the natural history of conventional dysplastic precursor lesions has been well-studied, the neoplastic potential of recently described nonconventional (NC) IBD-associated colonic mucosal lesions is unclear. We aimed to assess the incidence of antecedent NC lesions in patients with IBD who developed CRC. Methods A case-cohort study was performed to include patients with a diagnosis of IBD with or without CRC who underwent at least 2 surveillance endoscopic procedures at our institution between 1/1/2007 and 5/31/2023. NC lesions included serrated change and indefinite for dysplasia. Detection rates pre- and post-introduction of high-definition (HD) surveillance colonoscopy were compared. Results In total, 87 patients with IBD and CRC and 200 patients with IBD without CRC were identified. Of the cases, a majority had ulcerative colitis (n = 52, 60%), most commonly with extensive involvement (n = 46, 89%). Conventional (hazard ratio [HR] 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34-3.52) and NC (HR 2.28, 95% CI 1.59-3.26) lesions were associated with increased risk of CRC. Conventional lesions in the post-HD era appeared to have a stronger association with CRC (HR 2.79, 95% CI 1.62-4.77) than NC lesions (HR 1.62, 95% CI 0.86-3.06). Conclusions Both conventional and NC lesions seem to be associated with increased risk of CRC. Conventional lesions are more strongly associated with CRC than NC lesions in the post-HD era, but misclassifications in the pre-HD era may have resulted in a biased increased risk estimate for NC lesions.

Abstract Background and Aims Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a higher risk of developing colorectal dysplasia and colorectal cancer compared to the general population. Although the use of surveillance protocols has improved the ability to detect dysplasia, some lesions are still missed at colonoscopy. This study aims to determine the rate of dysplastic lesions that are undetected at colonoscopies in IBD patients undergoing colectomy and to identify factors associated with missed dysplasia. Methods Patients who had received a total or subtotal colectomy at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota), between January 2003 and December 2022, and had a complete colonoscopy within 5 years before surgery were retrospectively enrolled. Data abstracted included demographic information, disease-related data, colonoscopy and pathology reports, and surgery pathology reports. Colonoscopy and surgery findings were compared, and patients were divided into 3 groups: no dysplasia at both, detected dysplasia, and undetected dysplasia. Results Among 1320 IBD patients undergoing colectomy, 5.4% had undetected dysplastic lesions identified only at surgery. Factors independently associated with dysplasia detection were endoscopic remission or mild endoscopic disease activity (odds ratio [OR], 2.326; P = .0081; 95% CI, 1.246-4.342), prior dysplasia detection (OR, 1.876; P = .0491; 95% CI, 1.002-3.511), colonoscopy performed for surveillance (OR, 2.380; P = .0048; 95% CI, 1.302-4.350), and longer disease duration at surgery (OR, 1.039; P = .0085; 95% CI, 1.010-1.070). Conclusions Clinicians should be aware of the risk of missing dysplastic lesions, especially when endoscopic disease activity is moderate/severe, and not only for longstanding disease. Efforts should be made to obtain endoscopic remission to make the “invisible” visible.

Background:Crohn’s disease (CD) exhibits variability in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and prognostic factors due to diverse clinical and behavioral characteristics, presenting inconsistencies between Western and Eastern patients.Objectives:This study compared clinical characteristics between CD patients with CRC from the US and Korean tertiary referral centers and defined the prognostic factors related to mortality.Design:Retrospective study.Methods:We reviewed the electronic medical records of 236 adult CD patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma evaluated at Mayo Clinic Rochester, Florida, or Arizona ( N = 200) and Asan Medical Center in Korea ( N = 36) between January 1989 and August 2022.Results:Asan patients had a younger age, shorter CD duration, more colonic involvement (L2 plus L3), penetrating behavior, perianal fistula, and shorter biological treatment duration before CRC diagnosis than Mayo patients. Furthermore, despite significant differences in body mass index, smoking status, primary sclerosing cholangitis, immunomodulators, CRC diagnosis period, clinical presentation, CRC location, surgery, and some histopathological details between the two groups, overall survival was not statistically different ( p value, 0.29, log-rank test). Advanced age (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 1.03 per year; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01–1.04; p value, <0.01), unresectable CRC (aHR, 5.02; 95% CI, 2.49–10.12; p value, <0.01), and advanced CRC stage (aHR, 1.45 per stage; 95% CI, 1.07–1.97; p value, 0.02) were significantly associated with increased risk of death. CD remission at CRC diagnosis (aHR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.08–0.91; p value, 0.04), CRC diagnosis period of 2011–2022 (aHR relative to 1989–2000, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25–0.87; p value, 0.02), and CRC diagnosis by surveillance (aHR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.32–0.98; p value, 0.04) were significantly associated with decreased risk of death.Conclusion:Notably, some clinical features of CD with CRC differed between Asan and Mayo patients; however, overall survival was not different. CD remission, CRC surveillance, and more recent diagnosis of CRC were associated with a reduced risk of death.

ABSTRACT Chilaiditi sign is an incidental radiological finding where the intestine is interposed between the diaphragm and liver. Chilaiditi syndrome (CS), characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms and Chilaiditi sign on imaging, is of important clinical significance despite its rarity given associated complications including intestinal obstruction, bowel ischemia, and perforation. While most cases involve the large intestine, we report a rare case of CS with ileal involvement complicated by small bowel obstruction, managed conservatively. Failure to recognize Chilaiditi sign or CS may prompt unnecessary surgical interventions, emphasizing the need for physician awareness to ensure accurate timely diagnosis and appropriate management.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), is a global health problem with a worldwide increase in incidence. While previously it was more prevalent in Western countries, especially in North America and Europe, there has been a recent sizeable increase in the incidence of IBD in Asia. This article is a brief overview of the causative factors that contribute to this rise in IBD cases in Asian countries. There is a notable disparity between the Asian IBD population and the Western one in terms of age distribution and gender predilection, and genetic studies reveal both shared and unique susceptibility loci. Changes in environmental factors, including alterations in diet, hygiene, and lifestyle, are thought to play a key role in the epidemiological transition observed in Asia. It is crucial to comprehend how genetic predisposition interacts with environmental factors in order to understand the causes of IBD in the Asian population and develop precise interventions to alleviate its impact.