A new study published in the journal Gastroenterology supports the guidelines suggesting patients ages 50 and older at low risk of colon cancer should receive a screening colonoscopy every 10 years and patients at high risk should undergo the test every three years, according to the Los Angeles Times and the journal Gastroenterology.
The study "Surveillance Colonoscopy is Cost-Effective for Patients With Adenomas Who are at High Risk of Colorectal Cancer," conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor VA Health Services, analyzed the effectiveness of screening colonoscopies of reducing colon cancer deaths while factoring in costs and complications associated with the test.
"Surveillance colonoscopy is a widely accepted and utilized practice that has the potential to decrease the burden of colorectal cancer. Yet, this practice also carries considerable monetary and resource costs as well as the risk of procedure-related complications," said Sameer Dev Saini, MD, MS, of the Ann Arbor VA Health Services Research & Development Center of Excellence and lead author of the study, in a press release from the American Gastroenterological Association, publisher of Gastroenterology. "Despite these concerns, data supporting the long-term effectiveness of surveillance colonoscopy and the choice of optimal surveillance strategy are limited."
Read the Los Angeles Times report on screening colonoscopies.
Read the press release from the AGA on surveillance colonoscopy.
Read the abstract of the study published in Gastroenterology on colonoscopy effectiveness.
The study "Surveillance Colonoscopy is Cost-Effective for Patients With Adenomas Who are at High Risk of Colorectal Cancer," conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor VA Health Services, analyzed the effectiveness of screening colonoscopies of reducing colon cancer deaths while factoring in costs and complications associated with the test.
"Surveillance colonoscopy is a widely accepted and utilized practice that has the potential to decrease the burden of colorectal cancer. Yet, this practice also carries considerable monetary and resource costs as well as the risk of procedure-related complications," said Sameer Dev Saini, MD, MS, of the Ann Arbor VA Health Services Research & Development Center of Excellence and lead author of the study, in a press release from the American Gastroenterological Association, publisher of Gastroenterology. "Despite these concerns, data supporting the long-term effectiveness of surveillance colonoscopy and the choice of optimal surveillance strategy are limited."
Read the Los Angeles Times report on screening colonoscopies.
Read the press release from the AGA on surveillance colonoscopy.
Read the abstract of the study published in Gastroenterology on colonoscopy effectiveness.