Interval Colorectal Cancers at Ochsner Medical Center: Where Do We Stand?

Background: An interval colorectal cancer is a cancer diagnosed prior to the recommended follow-up time from a previously negative colonoscopy. These cancers are thought to arise from a rapidly growing cancer, missed cancer, or incompletely resected adenomas. Our study aimed to identify interval cancers diagnosed during a 4-year period and to identify any potential risk factors associated with these cancers. Secondly, we compared our interval colorectal cancer rate with other published rates. Methods: Our population included all patients who underwent colonoscopy for any indication between August 1, 2010 and July 31, 2014 (n=28,794), excluding individuals <18 years and patients with a history of inflammatory bowel disease, previously diagnosed colorectal cancer, or known hereditary cancer syndrome. Using a retrospective review of our institution's electronic medical record and data from the Louisiana Tumor Registry, we identified patients who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. From these individuals, ...