Risk of colorectal cancer extremely low 5 years after a normal colonoscopy screeningSeptember 23, 2008A study appearing in the Sept. 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine shows that among individuals with no colorectal neoplasia (abnormal growths) on initial screening colonoscopy, the five-year risk of colorectal cancer is extremely low. The data provides support for rescreening at an interval of five years or longer after a normal colonoscopic examination. "This research is very significant as it is the first large study to provide direct rescreening data on a group of average risk patients who had normal findings on the initial screening colonoscopy," said John L. Petrini, MD, FASGE, president, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). "As a result, physicians should consider this important finding when recommending a rescreening schedule to their patients, as this data could have an impact on the costs of colonoscopy and the resources to provide for colonoscopy. There is data suggesting that the procedure may be performed too frequently." Researchers, led by Thomas F. Imperiale, MD, of the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, examined 1,256 asymptomatic patients 50 years or older, who had no precancerous or cancerous findings on baseline colonoscopy and who underwent follow up colonoscopy at five years. Among this patient population, no cancers were discovered. Advanced adenomas were found in 16 patients (1.3 percent).
ASGE and American Cancer Society colorectal cancer screening guidelines for patients with normal findings on the initial screening colonoscopy recommend repeat screening for average risk individuals every 10 years if they have no symptoms or family history risk. While this data does not directly evaluate the 10-year recommendation, it does establish that colonoscopy screening does not need to be repeated before five years for average risk individuals. An estimated 49,960 deaths are expected to occur from colorectal cancer in 2008. According to a study released in October 2007 from the CDC and the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer deaths dropped nearly 5 percent between 2002 and 2004, more than the other major cancer killers (prostate, breast, and lung). Among the key factors playing a role in the decline was prevention through screening and the removal of precancerous polyps. "This is excellent news and reinforces the importance of colorectal cancer screening beginning at age 50, or even younger if there is a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps," said Petrini. "Colonoscopy plays a very important role in colorectal cancer screening and prevention because it is the only method that allows us to remove polyps before they turn into cancer." American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related Colorectal Cancer Current Events and Colorectal Cancer News Articles CT colonography offers 1-stop screening for cancer and osteoporosis New research reveals that computed tomography (CT) colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, has the potential to screen for two diseases at once-colorectal cancer and osteoporosis, both of which commonly affect adults over age 50. Screening for colorectal cancer detects unrecognized disease Screening for colorectal cancer detects four out of ten cancers and should be carefully designed to be more effective, according to a study published today on bmj.com. A Simple Blood Test for Colon Cancer People are often reluctant to undergo a routine but painful colonoscopy ― but the consequences can be fatal. According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the third most common cancer found in American men and women and kills about 50,000 Americans every year. New platinum-phosphate compounds kill ovarian cancer cells A new class of compounds called phosphaplatins can effectively kill ovarian, testicular, head and neck cancer cells with potentially less toxicity than conventional drugs, according to a new study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Survival of head and neck cancer patients is greatly affected by coexisting ailments Current estimates for head and neck cancer survival are largely inaccurate because they widely disregard many of the most common diseases such patients have in addition to their primary cancer, says Jay Piccirillo, M.D., a head and neck specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Siteman Cancer Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Home-based diet and exercise intervention improves elderly cancer survivors' physical function A home-based program to improve exercise and diet led to significant, clinically meaningful improvement in body weight and physical function among older long-term cancer survivors in preliminary findings from the RENEW (Reach-out to ENhancE Wellness) trial. Adalimumab may reduce health-care costs for Crohn's disease patients Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term that refers to both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). IBD occurs most frequently in people in their late teens and twenties. There have been cases in children as young as two years old and in older adults in their seventies and eighties; men and women have an equal chance of getting the disease. SNPs affect folate metabolism in study of Puerto-Rican adults Researchers at Tufts University have gained further understanding of the genomic basis for altered folate metabolism and the content of uracil in blood DNA. National call for cancer clinical trial system to be more responsive to community needs Addressing the nation's continuing poor performance in cancer clinical trial participation, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities and low income groups, will require meaningful public involvement in the design and implementation of clinical trials, according to a landmark report released today. Surgical Removal of Small Colon Polyps is Costly and Unnecessary Polypectomy (the surgical removal of polyps by colonoscopy) of small polyps found during CT colonography is costly and unnecessary according to a study performed at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, WI. More Colorectal Cancer Current Events and Colorectal Cancer News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||