Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized as an immunomediated chronic inflammation in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Although the exact cause of IBD is not entirely clear, an abnormal reaction of the immune system towards physiological microbiota in the colon and small bowel is suspected.
IBD has long been associated with an increased risk of malignancies. The main risk is IBD-associated colorectal cancer, which is caused by chronic inflammation, followed by other cancers (including extraintestinal cancers) that develop as a result of the inflammation and subsequent treatment with immunosuppressors/ /biologics.
Recent advances in immunosuppressive therapies have significantly improved prognosis as well as quality of life of IBD patients. However, longer survival means prolonged exposure to chronic inflammation as well as to immunosupression (biologics), which translates into a higher risk of cancer development.
Therefore, in addition to anti-inflammatory therapies, current strategies for the management of IBD patients also include cancer prevention and surgery, systemic therapy, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy. The current paper describes the major risk factors of malignancy in IBD patients, and provides an overview of the most commonly occurring IBD-associated gastrointestinal cancers and their management.