They may also be at increased risk of benign neoplasms.
Findings of the study, titled “Risk of Developing Colorectal Cancer and Benign Neoplasm in Patients with Chronic Constipation,” were presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 77th Annual Scientific meeting in Las Vegas.
Researchers investigated the prevalence and incidence of colorectal cancer and benign neoplasms in more than 28,800 patients with chronic constipation and more than 86,500 controls without chronic constipation that were identified from a large retrospective U.S. claims database.
The study found that the risk of developing colorectal cancer was 1.78 times higher for chronic constipation patients and the risk of developing benign neoplasms was 2.70 times higher.
“This study demonstrates an association, not causation, between chronic constipation and both colorectal cancer and benign neoplasms,” said co-investigator Nicholas Talley, MD, PhD, of the University of Newcastle, in the release. “The postulated causal link between constipation and increased colorectal cancer risk is that longer transit times increase the duration of contact between the colonic mucosa and concentrated carcinogens in the lumen, such as bile acids or other carcinogens.”
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