Contact: Marni GoldsteinMount Sinai Press Office(212) 241-9200 [email protected]
Landmark Study Shows Superiority of Chromoendoscopy in Dysplasia Detection in Patients with Colitis
Mount Sinai Researchers Led Long-Term Surveillance Study, First of its Kind, Showing Chromoendoscopy More Effective than Standard Colonoscopy in These Patients
Newswise — (NEW YORK – January 7, 2016) Chromoendoscopy is superior to random biopsy or white-light colonoscopy in detecting dysplasia in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), according to a long-term surveillance study led by James F. Marion, MD, Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Director of Education and Outreach at The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital, published online in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Chromoendoscopy is an inexpensive technique that uses stains during endoscopy to highlight differences in mucosa, as well as dysplastic and malignant changes that could indicate colorectal cancer risk. Current standard surveillance has relied on white light colonoscopy, non-targeted biopsies, targeted sampling, and removal of lesions. However, there is growing consensus that adjunct methods to improve the detection of subtle mucosal abnormalities — chromoendoscopy being the most promising—enhance detection. These techniques are part of current treatment guidelines based on previous work by Dr. Marion’s research team.
“While there has been a growing consensus on the superiority of chromoendoscopy compared to other dysplasia surveillance methods over the last decade, these results are the first to demonstrate this superiority through long-term surveillance,” said Dr. Marion. “Since patients with IBD are at an estimated five to ten times greater risk of developing colorectal cancer, it is important to be able to accurately detect dysplasia, so we can prevent cancer morbidity and mortality, while also reducing unnecessary surgeries to remove the colon.”
This long-term, prospective study, the first of its kind, analyzed data from 68 Mount Sinai patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. It showed that chromoendoscopy was more likely to find the precancerous lesions known as dysplasia when they were present. A negative chromoendoscopy result also proved an excellent predictor that advanced dysplasia would not develop and colon resection would not be needed. Understanding of the natural history of dysplasia and cancer in colitis has also been deepened with this work.
The patients in the study were part of the original cohort of a prospective study evaluating the superiority of chromoendoscopy that was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology in 2008. The patients were followed from June 2006 through October 2011; each patient was analyzed by random biopsy, targeted white-light examination, and chromoendoscopy. Specimens were reviewed by a single blinded pathologist.
In the 208 examinations conducted, 44 dysplastic lesions in 24 patients were identified; 6 were detected by random biopsy, 11 by white-light examination and 27 by chromoendoscopy. Ten patients were referred for colectomy and no carcinomas were found.
“Despite the abundant evidence supporting improved dysplasia detection in patients with IBD through chromoendoscopy screening and its incorporation into our guidelines, many gastroenterologists continue to rely on expensive random biopsies for detection of dysplasia and colorectal cancer,” Dr. Marion said. “We hope these long-term findings resonate throughout the GI community and prompt screening changes, thus improving patient outcomes. Chromoendoscopy is an inexpensive, easy-to-learn technique that allows us to manage our patients without surgery. Our current guidelines will need to be revisited.”
The researchers note that these findings carry important implications for long-term follow-up. Additional surveillance studies with large numbers of patients from multiple centers having long-term follow-up are planned.
This study was funded by The Foundation for Clinical Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Lois Rubin.
About the Mount Sinai Health SystemThe Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services—from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care. The System includes approximately 6,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 hospitals in Geriatrics, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, and Gastroenterology, and is in the top 25 in five other specialties in the 2015-2016 “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital also is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel is ranked regionally. For more information, visit www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
RSS