Racial disparities in the incidence of colon cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Studies have explored the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD)] and colon cancer (CC). Additionally, racial disparities in the incidence of CC is well known. However, the impact of racial disparity in IBD patients who develop CC remains unclear. The aim of this study is to address the knowledge gap in this particular group of patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis was done using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2011. We included patients with IBD over age ≥18 years with a diagnosis of CC. Patients were stratified by race, gender, age, presence of IBD and CC. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the groups. Results: A total of 57,542 patients were included (CD: 36,357, UC: 21,001). Of all patients with and without IBD, advanced age, Black and Asian race conferred an increased risk of developing CC, whereas female gender, Hispanic and Native American race conferred a protective effect. In patients with IBD, advanced age conferred an increased risk for developing CC while female gender conferred a protective effect. In this subset of patients, black race conferred a protective effect. Conclusions: Racial disparity exists in the overall incidence of CC and among patients with IBD who develop CC. Interestingly, black race conferred a protective effect for patients with IBD, contrary to what is seen in the general population. These findings could be attributed to the environmental factors and genetic makeup between racial groups. Further studies are warranted to better understand these disparities.