Between new guidelines for colonoscopies to technological innovations, the gastroenterology and endoscopy space has been busy.
Here are seven updates on the industry since Oct. 1, as reported by Becker's:
1. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that people aged 45-49 are utilizing fecal immunochemical testing for colorectal cancer screening at similar rates to older people. They also had similar detection of CRC via follow-up colonoscopies, which researchers said strongly supports maintaining 45 as the recommended age for colonoscopies.
2. FIT testing could be as effective as colonoscopies in reducing long-term CRC incidence and mortality, concluded a recent study published in Gastroenterology.
3. GI physicians lauded new colonoscopy guidelines that have lowered the recommended screening age to 45 from 50, as a recent study published in JAMA Network Open found a small but significant increase in CRC screenings among younger people.
4. Gastroenterologists from The Oregon Clinic and Portland and the American Cancer Society voiced concerns about three key policies impacting patient care, screening accuracy and reimbursements. The physicians warned that the Shield blood-based CRC test is not as accurate as colonoscopies, which should remain a gold standard for CRC detection. They also spoke out against UnitedHealth's new gold card prior authorization program and CMS pay cuts.
5. Research published in JAMA found that shared decision-making in considering colonoscopies for patients over 75 did not make a statistically significant difference in concordance by patients in the study.
6. The FDA approved the Cologuard Plus test, a next-generation, multitarget stool DNA test approved for patients at an average risk of CRC. In trials, the test demonstrated 95% overall cancer sensitivity and 43% sensitivity for advanced precancerous lesions at 94% specificity.
7. A study by Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente found that antibiotics use is unlikely to be a factor in CRC diagnosis in adults under 50.