Updates on Age to Start and Stop Colorectal Cancer Screening: Recommendations From the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer.

This document is a focused update to the 2017 colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommendations from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, which represents the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. This update is restricted to addressing the age to start and stop CRC screening in average-risk individuals and the recommended screening modalities. Although there is no literature demonstrating that CRC screening in individuals under age 50 improves health outcomes such as CRC incidence or CRC-related mortality, sufficient data support the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force to suggest average-risk CRC screening begin at age 45. This recommendation is based on the increasing disease burden among individuals under age 50, emerging data that the prevalence of advanced colorectal neoplasia in individuals ages 45 to 49 approaches rates in individuals 50 to 59, and modeling studies that demonstrate the benefits of screening outweigh the potential harms and costs. For individuals ages 76 to 85, the decision to start or continue screening should be individualized and based on prior screening history, life expectancy, CRC risk, and personal preference. Screening is not recommended after age 85.

Diagnosis and Management of Cancer Risk in the Gastrointestinal Hamartomatous Polyposis Syndromes: Recommendations From the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer.

The gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyposis syndromes are rare, autosomal dominant disorders associated with an increased risk of benign and malignant intestinal and extraintestinal tumors. They include Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, juvenile polyposis syndrome, the PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (including Cowden's syndrome and Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome), and hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome. Diagnoses are based on clinical criteria and, in some cases, confirmed by demonstrating the presence of a germline pathogenic variant. The best understood hamartomatous polyposis syndrome is Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, caused by germline pathogenic variants in the STK11 gene. The management is focused on prevention of bleeding and mechanical obstruction of the small bowel by polyps and surveillance of organs at increased risk for cancer. Juvenile polyposis syndrome is caused by a germline pathogenic variant in either the SMAD4 or BMPR1A genes, with differing clinical courses. Patients with SMAD4 pathogenic variants may have massive gastric polyposis, which can result in gastrointestinal bleeding and/or protein-losing gastropathy. Patients with SMAD4 mutations usually have the simultaneous occurrence of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (juvenile polyposis syndrome-hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia overlap syndrome) that can result in epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding from mucocutaneous telangiectasias, and arteriovenous malformations. Germline pathogenic variants in the PTEN gene cause overlapping clinical phenotypes (known as the PTEN hamartoma tumor syndromes), including Cowden's syndrome and related disorders that are associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal and colonic polyposis, colon cancer, and other extraintestinal manifestations and cancers. Due to the relative rarity of the hamartomatous polyposis syndromes, recommendations for management are based on few studies. This U.S Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer consensus statement summarizes the clinical features, assesses the current literature, and provides guidance for diagnosis, assessment, and management of patients with the hamartomatous polyposis syndromes, with a focus on endoscopic management.

ACG Clinical Guideline: Diagnosis and Management of Gastrointestinal Subepithelial Lesions.

Subepithelial lesions (SEL) of the GI tract represent a mix of benign and potentially malignant entities including tumors, cysts, or extraluminal structures causing extrinsic compression of the gastrointestinal wall. SEL can occur anywhere along the GI tract and are frequently incidental findings encountered during endoscopy or cross-sectional imaging. This clinical guideline of the American College of Gastroenterology was developed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation process and is intended to suggest preferable approaches to a typical patient with a SEL based on the currently available published literature. Among the recommendations, we suggest endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with tissue acquisition to improve diagnostic accuracy in the identification of solid nonlipomatous SEL and EUS fine-needle biopsy alone or EUS fine-needle aspiration with rapid on-site evaluation sampling of solid SEL. There is insufficient evidence to recommend surveillance vs resection of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) <2 cm in size. Owing to their malignant potential, we suggest resection of gastric GIST >2 cm and all nongastric GIST. When exercising clinical judgment, particularly when statements are conditional suggestions and/or treatments pose significant risks, health-care providers should incorporate this guideline with patient-specific preferences, medical comorbidities, and overall health status to arrive at a patient-centered approach.

Updates on Age to Start and Stop Colorectal Cancer Screening: Recommendations From the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer.

This document is a focused update to the 2017 colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommendations from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, which represents the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. This update is restricted to addressing the age to start and stop CRC screening in average-risk individuals and the recommended screening modalities. Although there is no literature demonstrating that CRC screening in individuals under age 50 improves health outcomes such as CRC incidence or CRC-related mortality, sufficient data support the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force to suggest average-risk CRC screening begin at age 45. This recommendation is based on the increasing disease burden among individuals under age 50, emerging data that the prevalence of advanced colorectal neoplasia in individuals ages 45 to 49 approaches rates in individuals 50 to 59, and modeling studies that demonstrate the benefits of screening outweigh the potential harms and costs. For individuals ages 76 to 85, the decision to start or continue screening should be individualized and based on prior screening history, life expectancy, CRC risk, and personal preference. Screening is not recommended after age 85.

Diagnosis and Management of Cancer Risk in the Gastrointestinal Hamartomatous Polyposis Syndromes: Recommendations From the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer.

The gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyposis syndromes are rare, autosomal dominant disorders associated with an increased risk of benign and malignant intestinal and extraintestinal tumors. They include Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, juvenile polyposis syndrome, the PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (including Cowden's syndrome and Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome), and hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome. Diagnoses are based on clinical criteria and, in some cases, confirmed by demonstrating the presence of a germline pathogenic variant. The best understood hamartomatous polyposis syndrome is Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, caused by germline pathogenic variants in the STK11 gene. The management is focused on prevention of bleeding and mechanical obstruction of the small bowel by polyps and surveillance of organs at increased risk for cancer. Juvenile polyposis syndrome is caused by a germline pathogenic variant in either the SMAD4 or BMPR1A genes, with differing clinical courses. Patients with SMAD4 pathogenic variants may have massive gastric polyposis, which can result in gastrointestinal bleeding and/or protein-losing gastropathy. Patients with SMAD4 mutations usually have the simultaneous occurrence of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (juvenile polyposis syndrome-hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia overlap syndrome) that can result in epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding from mucocutaneous telangiectasias, and arteriovenous malformations. Germline pathogenic variants in the PTEN gene cause overlapping clinical phenotypes (known as the PTEN hamartoma tumor syndromes), including Cowden's syndrome and related disorders that are associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal and colonic polyposis, colon cancer, and other extraintestinal manifestations and cancers. Due to the relative rarity of the hamartomatous polyposis syndromes, recommendations for management are based on few studies. This US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer consensus statement summarizes the clinical features, assesses the current literature, and provides guidance for diagnosis, assessment, and management of patients with the hamartomatous polyposis syndromes, with a focus on endoscopic management.

Artificial intelligence for the assessment of bowel preparation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A reliable assessment of bowel preparation is important to ensure high-quality colonoscopy. Current bowel preparation scoring systems are limited by interobserver variability. This study aimed to demonstrate objective assessment of bowel preparation adequacy using an artificial intelligence (AI)/convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm developed from colonoscopy videos. METHODS: Two CNNs were developed using a training set of 73,304 images from 200 colonoscopies. First, a binary CNN was developed and trained to distinguish video frames that were appropriate versus inappropriate for scoring with the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS). A second multiclass CNN was developed and trained on 26,950 appropriate frames that were expertly annotated with BBPS segment scores (0-3). We validated the algorithm using 252 10-second video clips that were assigned BBPS segment scores by 2 experts. The algorithm provided mean BBPS scores based on the algorithm (AI-BBPS) by calculating mean BBPS based on each frame's scoring. We maximized the algorithm's performance by choosing a dichotomized AI-BBPS score that closely matched dichotomized BBPS scores (ie, adequate vs inadequate). We tested the mean BBPS score based on the algorithm AI-BBPS against human rating using 30 independent 10-second video clips (test set 1) and 10 full withdrawal colonoscopy videos (test set 2). RESULTS: In the validation set, the algorithm demonstrated an area under the curve of .918 and accuracy of 85.3% for detection of inadequate bowel cleanliness. In test set 1, sensitivity for inadequate bowel preparation was 100% and agreement between raters and AI was 76.7% to 83.3%. In test set 2, sensitivity for inadequate bowel preparation for each segment was 100% and agreement between raters and AI was 68.9% to 89.7%. Agreement between raters alone versus raters and AI were similar (κ = .694 and .649, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The algorithm assessment of bowel cleanliness as measured with the BBPS showed good performance and agreement with experts including full withdrawal colonoscopies.

Updates on age to start and stop colorectal cancer screening: recommendations from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer.

This document is a focused update to the 2017 colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommendations from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, which represents the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. This update is restricted to addressing the age to start and stop CRC screening in average-risk individuals and the recommended screening modalities. Although there is no literature demonstrating that CRC screening in individuals under age 50 improves health outcomes such as CRC incidence or CRC-related mortality, sufficient data support the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force to suggest average-risk CRC screening begin at age 45. This recommendation is based on the increasing disease burden among individuals under age 50, emerging data that the prevalence of advanced colorectal neoplasia in individuals ages 45 to 49 approaches rates in individuals 50 to 59, and modeling studies that demonstrate the benefits of screening outweigh the potential harms and costs. For individuals ages 76 to 85, the decision to start or continue screening should be individualized and based on prior screening history, life expectancy, CRC risk, and personal preference. Screening is not recommended after age 85.

Diagnosis and management of cancer risk in the gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyposis syndromes: recommendations from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer.

The gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyposis syndromes are rare, autosomal dominant disorders associated with an increased risk of benign and malignant intestinal and extraintestinal tumors. They include Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, juvenile polyposis syndrome, the PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (including Cowden's syndrome and Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome), and hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome. Diagnoses are based on clinical criteria and, in some cases, confirmed by demonstrating the presence of a germline pathogenic variant. The best understood hamartomatous polyposis syndrome is Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, caused by germline pathogenic variants in the STK11 gene. The management is focused on prevention of bleeding and mechanical obstruction of the small bowel by polyps and surveillance of organs at increased risk for cancer. Juvenile polyposis syndrome is caused by a germline pathogenic variant in either the SMAD4 or BMPR1A genes, with differing clinical courses. Patients with SMAD4 pathogenic variants may have massive gastric polyposis, which can result in gastrointestinal bleeding and/or protein-losing gastropathy. Patients with SMAD4 mutations usually have the simultaneous occurrence of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (juvenile polyposis syndrome-hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia overlap syndrome) that can result in epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding from mucocutaneous telangiectasias, and arteriovenous malformations. Germline pathogenic variants in the PTEN gene cause overlapping clinical phenotypes (known as the PTEN hamartoma tumor syndromes), including Cowden's syndrome and related disorders that are associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal and colonic polyposis, colon cancer, and other extraintestinal manifestations and cancers. Due to the relative rarity of the hamartomatous polyposis syndromes, recommendations for management are based on few studies. This U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer consensus statement summarizes the clinical features, assesses the current literature, and provides guidance for diagnosis, assessment, and management of patients with the hamartomatous polyposis syndromes, with a focus on endoscopic management.

Evaluating the practice of canceling colonoscopies for presumed inadequate bowel preparation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Only scant data describe the practice of canceling colonoscopies before colonoscope insertion for presumed inadequate bowel preparation (PIBP). We sought to better understand the ramifications of such cancellations and to characterize the nationwide practice of cancellations for PIBP. METHODS: We determined the frequency of colonoscopies canceled for PIBP at our institution, assessing practice variation and whether patients who were canceled for PIBP completed colonoscopy or fecal immunohistochemical testing within 6 months. We also surveyed gastroenterology program directors to determine whether canceling colonoscopies for PIBP is commonly permitted and if such cancellations are included in calculations of bowel preparation adequacy rates. RESULTS: Three percent of patients were canceled because of PIBP at our institution, with significant provider practice variability in cancellation rates. Only 67% of patients whose cases were canceled for PIBP completed colonoscopy or fecal immunohistochemical testing within 6 months. The ability of an endoscopist to cancel a colonoscopy for PIBP was reported by 97% of survey respondents. Such cases are frequently not included in calculations of bowel preparation adequacy rates. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to cancel colonoscopies because of PIBP is near ubiquitous, but such cases are not uniformly included in calculations of bowel preparation adequacy rates. Variation in provider practice, and resulting impact on patient care, suggests a need for standardized protocols. Colonoscopies canceled for PIBP should be included in calculations of bowel preparation adequacy rates.

Gene-Environment Interactions and the Risk of Barrett's Esophagus in Three US Cohorts.

OBJECTIVES: Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with Barrett's esophagus (BE) risk. In addition, environmental factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, and heartburn increase BE risk. However, data on potential interactions between these genetic and environmental factors on BE risk are scant. Understanding how genes and environmental risk factors interact may provide key insight into the pathophysiology of BE, and potentially identify opportunities for targeted prevention and treatment. The objectives of this study were to examine the main effects and the potential effect modification between known genetic loci (SNPs) and established environmental risk factors for BE. METHODS: We performed a nested case-control study using data on 401 incident BE cases and 436 age-matched controls from the Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study cohorts, who gave blood and completed biennial questionnaires. Overall, we genotyped 46 SNPs identified in previous BE genome-wide association studies as well as SNPs in candidate genes related to BE susceptibility (i.e., related to excess body fat, fat distribution, factors associated with insulin resistance, and inflammatory mediators). A genetic risk score (GRS) was constructed to evaluate the combined effect of the selected SNPs on BE risk. Interactions between SNPs and BE risk factors were also assessed. RESULTS: We observed a suggestive, but not statistically significant, association between our GRS and BE risk: a one-allele increase in the unweighted GRS increased the risk of BE by a factor of 1.20 (95% confidence interval = 1.00-1.44; P = 0.057). We did not observe any meaningful multiplicative interactions between smoking, alcohol consumption, or heartburn duration and BE genotypes. When we assessed the joint effect of weighted GRS and BE risk factors, we did not observe any significant interaction with alcohol and heartburn duration, whereas smoking showed a significant multiplicative interaction (P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that SNPs associated with BE at genome-wide significant levels can be combined into a GRS with a potential positive association with BE risk.

The association among diet, dietary fiber, and bowel preparation at colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pre-colonoscopy dietary restrictions vary widely and lack evidence-based guidance. We investigated whether fiber and various other foods/macronutrients consumed during the 3 days before colonoscopy are associated with bowel preparation quality. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study among patients scheduled for outpatient colonoscopy. Patients received instructions including split-dose polyethylene glycol, avoidance of vegetables/beans 2 days before colonoscopy, and a clear liquid diet the day before colonoscopy. Two 24-hour dietary recall interviews and 1 patient-recorded food log measured dietary intake on the 3 days before colonoscopy. The Nutrition Data System for Research was used to estimate dietary exposures. Our primary outcome was the quality of bowel preparation measured by the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS). RESULTS: We enrolled 201 patients from November 2015 to September 2016 with complete data for 168. The mean age was 59 years (standard deviation, 7 years), and 90% of colonoscopies were conducted for screening/surveillance. Only 17% and 77% of patients complied with diet restrictions 2 and 1 day(s) before colonoscopy, respectively. We found no association between foods consumed 2 and 3 days before colonoscopy and BBPS scores. However, BPPS was positively associated with intake of gelatin, and inversely associated with intake of red meat, poultry, and vegetables on the day before colonoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support recent guidelines encouraging unrestricted diets >1 day before colonoscopy if using a split-dose bowel regimen. Furthermore, we found no evidence to restrict dietary fiber 1 day before colonoscopy. We also found evidence to promote consumption of gelatin and avoidance of red meat, poultry, and vegetables 1 day before colonoscopy.

Inadequate Boston Bowel Preparation Scale scores predict the risk of missed neoplasia on the next colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The risks of missed findings after inadequate bowel preparation are not fully characterized in a diverse cohort. We aimed to evaluate the likelihood of missed polyps after an inadequate preparation as assessed by using the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS). METHODS: In this observational study of prospectively collected data within a large, national, endoscopic consortium, we identified patients aged 50 to 75 years who underwent average-risk screening colonoscopy (C1) followed by a second colonoscopy for any indication within 3 years (C2). We determined the polyp detection rates (PDRs) and advanced PDRs during C2 stratified by C1 BBPS scores. RESULTS: Among segment pairs without polyps at C1 (N = 601), those with inadequate C1 BBPS segment scores had a higher PDR at C2 (10%) compared with those with adequate bowel preparation at C1 (5%; P = .04). Among segment pairs with polyps at C1 (N = 154), segments with inadequate bowel preparation scores at C1 had higher advanced PDRs at C2 (20%) compared with those with adequate bowel preparation scores at C1 (4%; P = .03). In multivariable analysis, the presence of advanced polyps at C1 (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.5; 95% confidence intervals [CIs], 1.1-10.8) but not inadequate BBPS scores at C1 (adjusted OR 1.8; 95% CI, 0.6-5.1) was associated with a significantly increased risk of advanced polyps at C2. CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate BBPS segment scores generally are associated with higher rates of polyps and advanced polyps at subsequent colonoscopy within a short timeframe. The presence of advanced polyps as well as inadequate BBPS segment scores can inform the risk of missed polyps and help triage which patients warrant a timely repeat colonoscopy.

Prospective Study of Gastroesophageal Reflux, Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors and H2-Receptor Antagonists, and Risk of Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVES: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is common and often treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or H2-receptor antagonists (H2-RAs). GERD has been associated with exposure of the middle ear to gastric contents, which could cause hearing loss. Treatment of GERD with PPIs and H2-RAs may decrease exposure of the middle ear to gastric acid and decrease the risk of hearing loss. We prospectively investigated the relation between GERD, use of PPIs and H2-RAs, and the risk of hearing loss in 54,883 women in Nurses' Health Study II. DESIGN: Eligible participants, aged 41 to 58 years in 2005, provided information on medication use and GERD symptoms in 2005, answered the question on hearing loss in 2009 or in 2013, and did not report hearing loss starting before the date of onset of GERD symptoms or medication use. The primary outcome was self-reported hearing loss. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to adjust for potential confounders. RESULTS: During 361,872 person-years of follow-up, 9842 new cases of hearing loss were reported. Compared with no GERD symptoms, higher frequency of GERD symptoms was associated with higher risk of hearing loss (multivariable adjusted relative risks: <1 time/month 1.04 [0.97, 1.11], several times/week 1.17 [1.09, 1.25], daily 1.33 [1.19, 1.49]; p value for trend <0.001). After accounting for GERD symptoms, neither PPI nor H2-RA use was associated with the risk of hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS: GERD symptoms are associated with higher risk of hearing loss in women, but use of PPIs and H2-RAs are not independently associated with the risk.

Good is better than excellent: bowel preparation quality and adenoma detection rates.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate bowel cleansing is associated with missed lesions, yet whether polyp and adenoma detection rates (PDR, ADR) increase at the highest levels of bowel cleanliness is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between bowel preparation quality by using the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) and PDR and ADR among colonoscopies with adequate preparation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: Boston Medical Center (BMC) and the Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative (CORI). PATIENTS: Average-risk ambulatory patients attending screening colonoscopy with adequate bowel preparation defined as BBPS score ≥6. INTERVENTIONS: Colonoscopy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: PDR and ADR stratified by BBPS score. RESULTS: Among the 3713 colonoscopies at BMC performed by 19 endoscopists, the PDR, ADR, and advanced ADR were 49.8%, 37.7%, and 6.0%, respectively. Among the 5532 colonoscopies in CORI performed by 85 endoscopists at 41 different sites, the PDR was 44.5%, and the PDR for polyps >9 mm (surrogate for advanced ADR) was 6.2%. The PDR associated with total BBPS scores of 6, 7, and 8 were higher than those associated with a BBPS score of 9 at BMC (BBPS 6, 51%; BBPS 7, 53%; BBPS 8, 52% vs BBPS 9, 46%; P = .002) and CORI (BBPS 6, 51%; BBPS 7, 48%; BBPS 8, 45% vs BBPS 9, 40%; P < .0001). This trend persisted after we adjusted for age, sex, and race and/or ethnicity and was observed for ADR and advanced ADR. PDR was higher among good compared with excellent preparations at BMC (odds ratio [OR] 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.5) and CORI (OR 4.7; 95% CI, 3.1-7.1). LIMITATIONS: Retrospective study. CONCLUSION: The PDR and ADR decreased at the highest levels of bowel cleanliness. Endoscopists finding a pristine bowel preparation should avoid a sense of overconfidence for polyp detection during the inspection phase of screening colonoscopy and still perform a careful evaluation for polyps. Furthermore, endoscopists expending additional effort to maximize cleansing of the bowel should never sacrifice on their inspection technique or inspection time.