Surveillance colonoscopy in ulcerative colitis patients in Germany

It has been assumed that cancer surveillance colonoscopy in patients with ulcerative colitis is not conducted according to the guidelines in Germany. An inquiry of the self-help organisation German Crohn's Disease/Ulcerative Colitis Association (DCCV) among organisation members belonging to colorectal cancer risk groups confirmed that the number of biopsies taken during colonoscopy is less than that proposed by the guidelines. Only with 9.2 % of the risk group did a guideline-conformal colonoscopy take place. In more than 50 % of the cases less than 10 biopsies were taken.