A negative screening colonoscopy led to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates for up to 17.4 years, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and reported on in MedPage Today.
Researchers examined colonoscopy results from 165,887 average-risk individuals in the Polish Colonoscopy Screening Program from October 2000 to December 2011. Researchers followed the participants for up to 17.4 years, with a median follow-up of 10.1 years.
Of the colonoscopies, 113,513 were categorized as low quality and 52,374 were high quality. About 65.1 percent of the endoscopists had an adenoma detection rate of less than 20 percent, with 95.1 percent of endoscopists in the low-quality exam group having an ADR of less than 20 percent.
Here's what they found:
1. CRC incidence and mortality rate were 72 percent and 81 percent lower than the general population, respectively.
2. Researchers said the study confirmed the effectiveness of the recommended 10-year interval for screening colonoscopy.
3. High-quality screening performed by endoscopists with ADRs of 20 percent or greater lowered CRC incidence and mortality rates two times more than the low-quality counterparts.
Carol Burke, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic told MedPage Today the study supports the recent update by the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, which said normal colonoscopy screening intervals reduced CRC incidence and mortality rates.
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