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World J Gastroenterol. Sep 7, 2014; 20(33): 11486-11495
Published online Sep 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i33.11486
Small bowel adenocarcinoma and Crohn's disease: Any further ahead than 50 years ago?
Caitlin Cahill, Philip H Gordon, Andrea Petrucci, Marylise Boutros
Caitlin Cahill, Philip H Gordon, Andrea Petrucci, Marylise Boutros, McGill University Department of Surgery; Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital Colorectal Surgery, Montreal PQ H3T 1E2, Canada
Author contributions: Cahill C, Gordon PH and Boutros M contributed equally to this work; Cahill C, Gordon PH and Boutros M designed the research; Cahill C, Petrucci A and Gordon PH performed the research, Petrucci A performed the data collection for our institutional series; Cahill C, Gordon PH and Boutros M analyzed the data; Cahill C, Gordon PH, Petrucci A and Boutros M wrote the manuscript; Gordon PH and Boutros M revised the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Marylise Boutros, MD, FRCS(C), McGill University Department of Surgery; Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital Colorectal Surgery, 3755 Cote Ste Catherine G-314, Montreal PQ H3T 1E2, Canada. mboutros@jgh.mcgill.ca
Telephone: +1-514-340-8222-3256 Fax: +1-514-340-7560
Received: March 4, 2014
Revised: May 8, 2014
Accepted: May 26, 2014
Published online: September 7, 2014
Abstract

This review of the literature on small bowel carcinoma associated with Crohn’s disease specifically addresses the incidence, risk factors, and protective factors which have been identified. It also reviews the clinical presentation, the current modalities of diagnosis, the pathology, treatment, and surveillance. Finally, the prognosis and future direction are addressed. Our experience with small bowel adenocarcinoma in Crohn’s disease is reported. Readers will be provided with a better understanding of this rare and often poorly recognized complication of Crohn’s disease.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease, Small bowel adenocarcinoma, Cancer risk, Cancer malignancy, Incidental carcinoma, Late complications of Crohn’s disease, Inflammatory bowel disease

Core tip: This review of the literature on small bowel carcinoma associated with Crohn’s disease specifically addresses the incidence, risk factors, and protective factors which have been identified. It also reviews the clinical presentation, the current modalities of diagnosis, the pathology, treatment, and surveillance. Finally, the prognosis and future direction are addressed. Our experience with small bowel adenocarcinoma in Crohn’s disease is reported. Readers will be provided with a better understanding of this rare and often poorly recognized complication of Crohn’s disease.