Associated Neoplastic Disease in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The development of intestinal carcinoma in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been recognized as an unsavory outcome of chronic inflammation of the bowel. Numerous studies have recently documented the clinical and morphologic features of malignant transformation in this closely-followed group of patients. This article highlights the recent findings of these population-based studies with specific attention to surgical concepts and frames these data in the context of surgical approaches to cancer arising in inflammatory disease. Specifically, the authors address the pathobiology of malignant transformation, the management of colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease, the development of dysplasia in ulcerative colitis, surveillance of patients who have IBD, chemoprevention of cancer, and special features of surgical oncologic management.