The new guidelines, developed for the British Society of Gastroenterology by academics at the Universities of Oxford, Newcastle and Central Lancashire and others, have been published in the UK journal Gut. This work was supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
Despite improved treatments and regular check-ups, people with IBD – which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – still have a higher risk of developing and dying from bowel, or colorectal, cancer compared to the general population.
A person’s risk of developing bowel cancer may depend on different factors, for example: how long they have had IBD; which part of their bowel is affected; or the severity of inflammation they experience.
Among the recommendations in the guidelines are that all IBD patients have a colonoscopy around eight years after their symptoms start, and that any patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis – a rare condition that causes inflammation of the bile ducts and sometimes liver damage – should have a colonoscopy at diagnosis.
Among those contributing to the new guidelines were doctors, including endoscopists and surgeons, specialist nurses and patients. They analysed more than 7,500 publications to arrive at 73 statements that might inform clinical decision-making and deliver IBD colorectal surveillance services.
Read the full story on the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre website.