Diverticulitis and Colorectal Cancer: Is There a Link?

The link between diverticular disease and colon cancer has long been questioned given the often-overlapping risk factors for development. With the high burden of diverticular disease in the United States, a link, if present, could translate into a large volume of affected individuals and could inform further decisions about how patients are counseled regarding surgery and additional treatments. We will discuss the literature that reviews these associations as they pertain to diagnosis and management, which suggests that there is no direct evidence which supports diverticulitis as an independent risk factor for developing colorectal cancer and that high-quality colonoscopic evaluation should be performed after diverticulitis as the attack may be cancer in disguise.