Tumors in chronic inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel diseases (e.g., ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) are associated with an increased risk for colorectal cancer depending on the duration, location and extent of disease. Besides the possibility for chemoprevention with 5-aminosalicylates, surveillance colonoscopy represents the most important approach for successful prevention of this colitis-associated cancer. In this regard, white-light endoscopy with random biopsies or high definition chromoendoscopy with targeted biopsies are state-of-the-art techniques for the identification of suspect lesions. Treatment of precursor lesions depends on the histological classification and the associated risk for synchronous or meta-chronous colorectal cancer. This CME training will provide the reader with an overview of current recommendations for the diagnosis and therapy of colitis-associated cancer.