Who is at risk of inflammatory bowel disease-associated lymphoma

What is this research looking at? 

Lymphoma is a form of blood cancer. Some people living with Crohn's and Colitis may have an increased risk of developing lymphoma. It is not known why, or who is most at risk.  But even with this higher risk, the overall risk of lymphoma is still low. 

Researchers want to learn more about how lymphoma develops and find ways to identify people who might be at a higher risk. 

To do this, they will use data from the IBD BioResource and England's National Cancer Registry. They will look for differences in the genes of people who developed lymphoma and people who did not develop lymphoma. 

In a second part of the study, in a laboratory they will also look for changes in the immune system when people with Crohn's or Colitis develop lymphoma. They hope this will help them to understand how this cancer develops. 

What do researchers think this could mean for people with IBD?  

This research will help to: 

• Identify people with Crohn's or Colitis who are at higher risk of lymphoma.
• Find ways to lower the risk of lymphoma in people with Crohn's or Colitis.
• Develop better treatments for lymphoma in people with Crohn's or Colitis. 

Who is leading this research: Dr Ally Speight 

Funding: £150,000

Duration: 24 months

Official title of application: Inflammatory bowel disease-associated lymphoma