Screening for colon cancer

The risk of colon cancer is elevated by ulcerative colitis. Among patients with pancolitis, UC involving the entire colon, the risk of colon cancer goes up if the disease has been active for eight years or more. In people with UC on the left or distal side of the colon, the risk of colon cancer is higher if they have had the disease for 10 to 15 years or longer. Individuals with UC in these groups should consult their doctors and plan periodic colonoscopies with biopsies to screen for cancer. In general, after a patient has had pancolitis or left-sided UC for more than eight to 10 years, cancer screening with colonoscopy is recommended every one to two years.

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