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Diverticulitis does not increase the long-term risk of developing colon cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this review was to examine if diverticulitis increases the long-term risk (> 6 months) of developing colon cancer.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL. Google Scholar was also searched. We included studies with human adults of 18 years of age and above. Studies that included only patients with diverticulitis as well as studies comparing groups with and without diverticulitis were included. The primary outcome was the incidence of colon cancer 6 months or more after an episode of diverticulitis.

Results

Twelve records were included with 38,621 patients with diverticulitis. The crude rate of colon cancer among the prospectively followed populations with diverticulitis was by meta-analysis found to be 0.6% (95% CI 0.5–0.6%). The limitations of this review include heterogeneous reporting of outcomes across studies, specifically regarding population and outcome as well as variations in the design and reporting of the studies.

Conclusion

We found that the long-term risk of colon cancer after diverticulitis is not increased. The results of our review support current practice on follow-up after an episode of diverticulitis with short-term follow-up being the primary focus.

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Acknowledgements

We want to thank Dr. Nir Horesh for providing additional information from his research, making it possible to include his article in this review.

Funding

LQM received funding for this study from Knud & Edith Eriksen’s Mindefond (grant number 62786–2020), A.P. Møller Fonden (grant number 20-L-0200), and Aage & Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond (grant number 20-2B-7108).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Perioperative Optimization, Department of Surgery, Herlev Hospital, Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 1, 2730, Herlev, Denmark

    Laura Quitzau Mortensen, Jens Buciek, Kristoffer Andresen & Jacob Rosenberg

  2. University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Jens Buciek

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  1. Laura Quitzau Mortensen
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  2. Jens Buciek
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Contributions

All authors contributed to conception and design. LQM performed the literature search. LQM and JB performed the screening of records. LQM performed data analysis. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the data. LQM made first draft of the article. All authors performed critical revision of the article for important intellectual content and have given final approval of the article.

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Correspondence to Laura Quitzau Mortensen.

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The protocol for this review is published in PROSPERO (CRD42020191055).

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Mortensen, L.Q., Buciek, J., Andresen, K. et al. Diverticulitis does not increase the long-term risk of developing colon cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Colorectal Dis 37, 1945–1952 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-022-04246-z

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