Background & Aims

Despite the availability of endoscopic therapy, many patients in the United States undergo surgical resection non-malignant colorectal polyps. We aimed to quantify and examine trends in the use of surgery for non-malignant colorectal polyps in a nationally representative sample. for

Methods

We analyzed data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample for the years 2000 through 2014. We included all adult patients who underwent elective colectomy or proctectomy and had a diagnosis of either non-malignant colorectal polyp or colorectal cancer. We compared trends in surgery for non-malignant colorectal polyps with surgery for colorectal cancer and calculated age, sex, race, region, and teaching status/bed-size specific incidence rates of surgery for non-malignant colorectal polyps.

Results

From 2000 through 2014, there were 1,230,458 surgeries for non-malignant colorectal polyps and colorectal cancer in the United States. Among those surgeries, 25% were performed for non-malignant colorectal polyps. The incidence of surgery for non-malignant colorectal polyps has increased significantly, from 5.9 in 2000 to 9.4 in 2014 per 100,000 adults (incidence rate difference, 3.56; 95% CI 3.40–3.72), while the incidence of surgery for colorectal cancer has significantly decreased, from 31.5 to 24.7 surgeries per 100,000 adults (incidence rate difference, –6.80; 95% CI, –7.11 to –6.49). The incidence of surgery for non-malignant colorectal polyps has been increasing among individuals 20–79, in men and women and including all races and ethnicities.

Conclusions

In an analysis of a large, nationally representative sample, we found that surgery for non-malignant colorectal polyps is common and has significantly increased over the last 14 years.