Study: Colorectal Cancer Risk Greater for Patients With Renal Cancer

Patients with kidney or bladder cancer appear to be at increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to University of Chicago researchers.

Using a national cancer database, the researchers identified 186,972 patients with kidney, ureter or bladder cancer, and found that 2,789 of these patients subsequently developed colorectal cancer.

The increase in the risk of colorectal cancer was greatest for patients who were under age 50 when they developed renal or ureter cancer, the researchers reported. Their odds of developing colorectal cancer were from three to five times greater than for the general population.

For older patients with renal or ureter cancer, the risk of developing colorectal cancer was about double that of the population as a whole, the researchers reported at a meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

The researchers suggested that patients with renal or ureter cancer should probably start being screened for colorectal cancer at an earlier age, and should have screenings more frequently.

Other sources: American College of Gastroenterology