ArticleBMJ open gastroenterology2026
Temporal association of constipation and diarrhoea with a subsequent diagnosis of colorectal cancer: a propensity score-matched case-control study using real-world primary care data.
Article in BMJ open gastroenterology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study investigated whether chronic constipation and diarrhoea are temporally linked to colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis, aiming to clarify if these symptoms function as modifiable risk factors or early indicators of malignancy.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective case-control study using real-world data from the German Disease Analyser database. After 1:5 propensity score matching for age, sex, index year and comorbidities, 10 941 patients with CRC and 54 705 matched controls without cancer were included in the study. Documentation of constipation and diarrhoea was evaluated in six time intervals up to 5 years before CRC diagnosis. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to calculate ORs and 95% CIs for CRC risk.
resultsConstipation was significantly more frequent in patients with CRC within 6 months prior to CRC diagnosis (OR 3.23; 95% CI 2.85 to 3.66). A similar pattern was observed for diarrhoea within 6 months prior to diagnosis. However, the association was stronger the more frequently diarrhoea was documented (at least one diagnosis: OR 3.37; 95% CI 3.03 to 3.75; at least two diagnoses: OR 4.18; 95% CI 3.31 to 5.28; at least three diagnoses: OR 6.82; 95% CI 4.43 to 10.49). No associations were identified beyond 1 year before diagnosis.
conclusionConstipation and diarrhoea were associated with the subsequent diagnosis of CRC only in the immediate months before diagnosis, suggesting reverse causality rather than a causal relationship. These symptoms may serve as red flags rather than risk factors, emphasising the need for timely diagnostic evaluation, especially in the presence of persistent changes in bowel habits.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.