Can gallbladder polyps predict colorectal adenoma or even neoplasia? A systematic review

• A potential association of gallbladder polyps with colorectal adenomas and neoplasia is evident.
• Current evidence does not suffice to strongly support this hypothesis.
• Future studies are needed to shed more light to this association.

ObjectiveThe purpose of the present systematic review is to identify whether an association between gallbladder polyps and colorectal adenoma or neoplasia exists.Data sourcesWe conducted a systematic review searching the Medline (1966–2016), Scopus (2004–2016), ClinicalTrials.gov (2008–2016) and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRAL (1999–2016) databases together with reference lists from included studies.Study eligibility criteriaAll prospective and retrospective observational cohort studies were included.ResultsFour studies were finally included which included 17,437 patients. The association between gallbladder polyps and colorectal adenoma or even neoplasia is not unanimously supported. However, a possible association is clearly depicted. According to one study it seems that this correlation seems to become significant only when the gallbladder polyps exceed the size of 5 mm. However, the impact of size of gallbladder polyps was not investigated in the remaining studies.ConclusionAccording to the results of our systematic review there is some evidence to support the hypothesis that gallbladder polyps might adequately predict future risk of colorectal neoplasia. At present, however, current knowledge is very limited and the available data scarce. In this context further studies are necessary to be carried out, before the presence of gallbladder polyps on ultrasound can be recommended as an indication to perform a screening colonoscopy on the same patient.