MONDAY, May 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Individuals with pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (pIBD) have an increased risk for cancer and mortality, according to a study published online May 9 in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
Mikkel Malham, M.D., from the Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues estimated the risk for cancer and mortality in the Danish and Finnish pIBD population during a 23-year period. The cohort of individuals registered in national patient registries with a diagnosis of Crohn disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), or IBD-unclassified from 1992 to 2014 was cross-referenced with the national cancer and mortality registries. Patients were followed to the end of 2014 (median follow-up, 9.6 years).
The researchers identified 6,689 patients with pIBD. Of these, 72 subsequently developed cancer and 65 died. The standardized incidence ratio of cancer was 2.5 in general and was 2.6 and 2.5 in CD and UC, respectively. The standardized mortality ratio was 3.0 in general and 2.2 and 3.7 for CD and UC, respectively. Cancer, suicide, and infections were the leading causes of mortality.
“We found an increased risk of cancer and mortality in pIBD,” the authors write. “This underlines the importance of cancer surveillance programs and assessment of mental health in the standard of care in adolescent pIBD patients.”
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