Cancer in inflammatory bowel disease: is there a chance for cancer prevention?

摘要

Cancer of the digestive system is more common than respiratory, breast, or prostate cancer, though the latter three do not affect both genders and thus reflect the most common cancer for women and men, respectively (Figure 1). Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence in the USA (data from the year 2000) totals about 130000 cases per year, reflecting a lifetime risk of about 1 in 29. Most cases with CRC need surgery and expensive chemotherapy, thereby pushing health-care budgets to their limits. Despite new developments, metastatic CRC represents one of the main causes of death in western populations. Thus, CRC is a significant burden for society and health-care providers.