Rethinking the role of endoscopy for colorectal cancer following diverticulitis: An exploratory model for…

Cohort studyThe surgeon : journal of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Ireland· Feb 2026

Rethinking the role of endoscopy for colorectal cancer following diverticulitis: An exploratory model for guiding endoscopic assessment.

Muhammad Usman, Elon Correa, Wenyuan Chung … Sudarshan Rao Kadri

Colon & Rectal SurgeryCohort studyDiagnosisQ2IF 2.4

Male sex is associated with higher colorectal cancer risk after diverticulitis.

Rethinking the role of endoscopy for colorectal cancer following diverticulitis: An exploratory model for guiding endoscopic assessment.

Muhammad Usman … Sudarshan Rao Kadri

The surgeon · Feb 2026 · Q2 in Surgery

Background

The association between diverticulitis and colorectal (colorectal) remains controversial, with current guidelines differing significantly in terms of post-diverticulitis endoscopic assessment.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study analyzed 1546 patients diagnosed with diverticulitis between January 2021 and December 2023 at a UK tertiary care hospital.

n = 1546 patients

Results

male patients face higher risk of colorectal cancer after diverticulitis

OR by subgroup · 95% CI

More results

Of 1546 patients, the mean age was 69.2 years SD ± 12.9, and 51.5 % were female.

More results

Conversely, abdominal pain (OR 0.60, 95 % CI 0.44-0.80, p = 0.001) and per-rectal bleeding (OR 0.71, 95 % CI 0.56-0.89, p = 0.004), and presence of diverticulosis showed a protective association (OR 0.68, 95 % CI 0.47-0.97, p = 0.033), which could be due to confounding.

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Conclusion · 1 of 3

This exploratory model identifies patient characteristics that stratify colorectal risk following diverticulitis.

Conclusion · 2 of 3

These findings may help personalize decisions regarding post-diverticulitis colonoscopy, optimizing resource allocation while maintaining appropriate cancer surveillance.

Conclusion · 3 of 3

However, this model would require external validation before use in clinical practice.

Rethinking the role of endoscopy for colorectal cancer following diverticulitis: An exploratory model for guiding endoscopic assessment.

Rethinking the role of endoscopy for colorectal cancer following diverticulitis: An exploratory model for guiding endoscopic assessment.

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