Mirghani HO, Alanazi GO. Irritable bowel syndrome and colon cancer: A meta-analysis. World J Clin Cases 2026; 14(22): 121062 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.121062]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Hyder Osman Mirghani, MD, Full Professor, Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Prince Fahd Bin Sulta, Tabuk 51941, Saudi Arabia. s.hyder63@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
research-article
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World J Clin Cases. Aug 6, 2026; 14(22): 121062 Published online Aug 6, 2026. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.121062
Irritable bowel syndrome and colon cancer: A meta-analysis
Hyder Osman Mirghani, Ghadah Osman Alanazi
Hyder Osman Mirghani, Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 51941, Saudi Arabia
Ghadah Osman Alanazi, Diabetes Center, King Fahd Specialist Hospital, Tabuk Healthcare Cluster, Diabetes Center, King Fahd Specialist Hospital, Tabuk Healthcare Cluster, Tabuk 51941, Saudi Arabia
Co-first authors: Hyder Osman Mirghani and Ghadah Osman Alanazi.
Author contributions: Mirghani HO performed the conception and design of the study, the literature search, data analysis, the drafting and critical revision of the manuscript, and provided the final approval of the version to be published; Alanazi GO searched the literature, interpreted the data, drafted and critically revised the manuscript, and provided the final approval of the version to be published; both authors have made crucial and indispensable contributions towards the completion of the project and thus qualified as the co-first authors of the paper.
AI contribution statement: No AI tool was involved in the generation of research data, interpretation of results, or formulation of conclusions.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Hyder Osman Mirghani, MD, Full Professor, Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Prince Fahd Bin Sulta, Tabuk 51941, Saudi Arabia. s.hyder63@hotmail.com
Received: March 16, 2026 Revised: May 10, 2026 Accepted: June 23, 2026 Published online: August 6, 2026 Processing time: 142 Days and 2.7 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder that negatively affects quality of life and psychological well-being. Because IBS is diagnosed using symptom-based criteria such as the Rome criteria, its clinical manifestations may overlap with those of colon cancer, raising concerns about potential misdiagnosis.
AIM
To evaluate the association between IBS and colon cancer.
METHODS
A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar was conducted for English-language articles published up to January 2026. The search was performed between December 2025 and January 2026 using the keywords “irritable bowel syndrome”, “colon cancer”, “colorectal cancer”, “rectosigmoid cancer”, and “gastrointestinal cancer”, combined with the Boolean operators “AND” and “OR”. Through this, a total of 1013 records were identified. After removing duplicates, 469 articles remained; of those remaining articles, 79 full-text articles were screened for eligibility and 9 studies were included in the final meta-analysis.
RESULTS
The pooled analysis showed no significant association between IBS and colon cancer compared with controls [odds ratio (OR) = 1.05, 95%CI: 0.57-1.94]. Sensitivity analysis after removal of outliers yielded similar results (OR = 1.25, 95%CI: 0.86-1.81). Furthermore, 3 longitudinal studies demonstrated no association between IBS and colon cancer (risk ratio = 1.00, 95%CI: 1.00-1.00).
CONCLUSION
Overall, the findings indicate that IBS is not associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. These results support adherence to current guideline-based diagnostic criteria for IBS while maintaining appropriate clinical vigilance for alarm features suggestive of malignancy.
Core Tip: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is prevalent, and this prevalence varies depending on geography, diagnostic methods, and sociodemographic factors. The Rome criteria are the most commonly used diagnostic method, however, an important limitation of the Rome criteria overall is their potential overlap with organic diseases. This can complicate diagnosis and increase the risk of missing significant organic pathology if careful clinical evaluation is not performed. There is a recent concern regarding the association between IBS and colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly in those < 50 years of age. The current review synthesized the most recent evidence regarding the association between CRC and IBS.
