Colonoscopies may reduce cancer risk on the right side of the colon, an area previously thought to have a "blind spot," according to a study published in the Jan. 4 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The right-side benefit shown in the new study was slightly less effective than the benefit seen on the left side, according to a HealthDay News report on the study. The study looked at medical records of 1,688 German patients aged 50 or over with colorectal cancer and 1,932 without and found a 77 percent reduced risk for cancer malignancy among those patients who received a colonoscopy in the past 10 years.
Most of the benefit was seen for left-sided cancers, but there was still a 50 percent reduction on the right side, according to the study. Researchers are still unaware of why colonoscopy seems better at detecting cancer on the left side of the colon. The study's leaders suggested the difference in polyp appearance and growth, as well as gastroenterologist or endoscopist experience, may play a role.
Read more on colonoscopies:
-Simple Education on Bowel Preparation Not Enough to Improve Prep Quality
-IU Gastroenterologist Says Colonoscopy Can Be a Viable Tool for CRC Prevention
-Mayo Clinic Develops Colonoscopy Skills Assessment Tool
The right-side benefit shown in the new study was slightly less effective than the benefit seen on the left side, according to a HealthDay News report on the study. The study looked at medical records of 1,688 German patients aged 50 or over with colorectal cancer and 1,932 without and found a 77 percent reduced risk for cancer malignancy among those patients who received a colonoscopy in the past 10 years.
Most of the benefit was seen for left-sided cancers, but there was still a 50 percent reduction on the right side, according to the study. Researchers are still unaware of why colonoscopy seems better at detecting cancer on the left side of the colon. The study's leaders suggested the difference in polyp appearance and growth, as well as gastroenterologist or endoscopist experience, may play a role.
Read more on colonoscopies:
-Simple Education on Bowel Preparation Not Enough to Improve Prep Quality
-IU Gastroenterologist Says Colonoscopy Can Be a Viable Tool for CRC Prevention
-Mayo Clinic Develops Colonoscopy Skills Assessment Tool