Study: IBD Patients With Family History of Colon Cancer at Higher Risk

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who also have a family history of colon cancer have a significantly higher risk of themselves developing colon cancer, according to Swedish researchers reporting in the journal Gastroenterology.

Researchers noted that while all IBD patients -- including those with Chron's disease or ulcerative colitis -- are at increased risk of colon cancer, IBD patients with a first-degree relative who developed colon cancer had double the risk.

Dr. Johan Askling of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who led the study of data on nearly 20,000 IBD patients born during the past 60 years, said the findings show that ``information on family history of colon cancer, particularly of early onset, may be an easy way to identify individuals with IBD at high risk'' for the cancer.

The researchers said identifying those people with IBD at high risk is important in that the cancer is the ``single most important cause for the increased mortality among patients with IBD.''

And, the researchers said, identifying those at greatest risk for colon cancer will aid in preventing the disease and catching it early.

Other sources: Reuters