Background: Mandatory colonoscopy in liver transplantation (LT) candidates is recommended but still controversial.
Objective: To investigate the frequency of colonoscopy lesions in order to support colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in a real-world pre-LT cohort.
Methods: Retrospective study conducted at a single-center included 632 subjects who underwent pre-transplantation colonoscopy.
Results: Median age was 56.9 years (yr.) old (82.3% were ≥50 yr.). Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) occurred in 4.6%. Colonoscopy was abnormal in 438 (69.3%) by detection of polyps (37.7%), vascular changes (29.9%), diverticulosis (18.4%), inflammatory bowel disease features (5.2%) and CRC (0.6%). Histology was available in 66.8% of polyps: hyperplastic (47.8%), low-grade dysplasia (56.6%) and high-grade dysplasia (3.8%). High-risk adenomas occurred in 8.2% of the 594 subjects evaluated. Individuals ≥50 yr. were more likely to present abnormal colonoscopy and polyps. High-grade dysplasia and CRC were only found in individuals ≥50 yr. Patients with high-risk adenomas were more likely to be ≥50 yr.: there was no association between high-risk adenomas detection and liver disease etiology or PSC diagnosis.
Conclusion: Most LT candidates presented abnormal colonoscopy examination, especially by polyps presence. All cases of high-grade dysplasia and CRC occurred in patients ≥50 yr., regardless of disease etiology.