Ophthalmoscopy for congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE) in patients with sporadic colorectal carcinoma.

In order to investigate the frequency of congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE) in sporadic colorectal cancer, ophthalmoscopy was carried out in 34 patients with colorectal carcinoma without known familial disposition. CHRPE is one of the most frequent extracolonic manifestations in familial adenomatous polyposis. None of the patients showed any sign of CHRPE. It is concluded that although genetic factors are presumably of importance in the development of sporadic colorectal cancer, CHRPE cannot be used as a marker for future risk of colorectal carcinoma except in polyposis families.