Intestinal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease: natural history and surveillance guidelines.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are associated to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, which is primarily related to long-standing chronic inflammation. Recognized risk factors are the duration and extent of the disease, severe endoscopic and histological inflammation, primary sclerosing cholangitis, family history of colorectal cancer and in some studies young age at diagnosis. Recent population-based studies have shown that the risk is lower than previously described or even similar to that of the general population, and this could be justified by methodological aspects (hospital-based vs.