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©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Feb 16, 2026; 18(2): 113439
Published online Feb 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i2.113439
Published online Feb 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i2.113439
Relationship between the appendix and ulcerative colitis: A new discovery
Xu-Jia Wu, Reng-Yun Xiang, Pan Gong, Xue-Feng Li, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jishou University, Jishou 416000, Hunan Province, China
Xu-Jia Wu, Jishou University School of Medicine, Jishou 416000, Hunan Province, China
Qian Chen, Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jishou University, Jishou 416000, Hunan Province, China
Co-first authors: Xu-Jia Wu and Reng-Yun Xiang.
Author contributions: Wu XJ drafted the paper; Xiang RY participated in the endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of the patient and provided relevant information about the patient; Gong P participated in revision of the paper; Chen Q made a pathological diagnosis and provided the pathological images; Li XF was responsible for the entire review process and made revisions. Wu XJ and Xiang RY contributed equally to this manuscript and they are co-first authors. All authors reviewed the final text and assume responsibility for submission and publication.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xue-Feng Li, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Gastro
Received: August 26, 2025
Revised: October 22, 2025
Accepted: December 5, 2025
Published online: February 16, 2026
Processing time: 162 Days and 23.9 Hours
Revised: October 22, 2025
Accepted: December 5, 2025
Published online: February 16, 2026
Processing time: 162 Days and 23.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Investigating the relationship between the appendix and ulcerative colitis (UC) is crucial for understanding of UC pathogenesis. Appendectomy is superior to standard medical therapy alone in maintaining remission in patients with UC, suggesting that the appendix is a priming site for UC. Other studies have shown that appendectomy increases the risk of colorectal resection and colorectal cancer in UC. Therefore, further research is needed to establish whether the connection is clinically relevant. This review highlights the need for ongoing research to elucidate the complex relationship between the appendix and UC, providing valuable insights with significant promise for developing novel therapeutics.