http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A new study led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania adds support to current medical recommendations stating that screening colonoscopy substantially reduces an average-risk adult's likelihood of being diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) in either the right or left side of the colon. In recent years, colonoscopy has begun to rapidly replace sigmoidoscopy – a procedure used to detect abnormalities in the rectum and left side of the colon – despite initially limited evidence of its efficacy and higher cost. In the new study, researchers noted an overall 70 percent reduction of advanced CRC diagnoses associated with receiving a screening colonoscopy. The results of the study suggest that colonoscopy has the ability to effectively identify tumors in both the left and right side of the colon before they progress to an advanced stage. The full results of the study appear online in the Annals of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-colonoscopy-screening-advanced-colorectal-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:00:09 EST news281635036 Availability of CT colonography (CTC), commonly known as virtual colonoscopy, is increasing colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates across military medical facilities. Inclusion of CTC as a Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS)-compliant colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test can potentially raise overall screening rates, according to a study in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-inclusion-ctc-hedis-screening-modality.html Cancer Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:44:36 EST news277058669 A significant number of physicians would recommend colorectal cancer screening for elderly patients with a severe illness, according to David Haggstrom from the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis in the US and his team. Such patients would not benefit from the procedure and, in fact, unnecessary screening may do more harm than good. Their work appears online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-physicians-unnecessary-cancer-screening-sick.html Health Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:56:07 EST news258029755 Flexible sigmoidoscopy, a screening test for colorectal cancer that is less invasive and has fewer side effects than colonoscopy, is effective in reducing the rates of new cases and deaths due to colorectal cancer, according to research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. In a study that spanned almost 20 years, researchers found that overall colorectal cancer mortality (deaths) was reduced by 26 percent and incidence (new cases) was reduced by 21 percent as a result of screening with sigmoidoscopy. These results appeared online, ahead of print, on May 21, 2012, in the New England Journal of Medicine, and were presented at Digestive Disease Week, a scientific conference. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-sigmoidoscopy-colorectal-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 21 May 2012 11:20:01 EST news256816559 Patients for whom colonoscopy was recommended were less likely to complete colorectal cancer screening than those patients for whom fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) was recommended or those patients who were given a choice between FOBT or colonoscopy, according to a study published in the April 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-adherence-colorectal-cancer-screening.html Cancer Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:00:03 EST news253189465 The American College of Physicians (ACP) today issued a new guidance statement for colorectal cancer screening. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women in the United States. The guidance statement and a patient summary appear in the March 6 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, published by ACP. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-acp-colorectal-cancer-screening-guidance.html Cancer Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:00:01 EST news250174784 Repeated screening by flexible sigmoidoscopy (FSG) increased the detection of colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma in women by one-fourth and in men by one-third, according to a study published Jan. 31 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-flexible-sigmoidoscopy-shown-colorectal-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:00:01 EST news247238049 Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) is more effective in its health benefits at the same or lower costs compared to guaiac fecal occult blood testing (gFOBT) at all levels of colonoscopy capacity, according to a study published November 9 by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-fecal-occult-blood-effective-colonoscopy.html Cancer Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:00:03 EST news240062601 A single flexible sigmoidoscopy screening between the ages of 55-64 years is associated with a lower level of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality, according to a study published online August 18 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-flexible-sigmoidoscopy-screening-colorectal-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:00:03 EST news232895206 The immunochemical fecal occult blood test (iFOBT) is effective for predicting lesions in the lower intestine but not in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, confirms a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-noninvasive-fecal-occult-blood-effective.html Cancer Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:40:03 EST news231506756 A new study of U.S. veterans ages 70 and older finds that the healthiest get the most benefit from current colon cancer screening methods. However, for many less healthy veterans the burdens of screening may outweigh the benefits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-blood-colon-cancer-screening-beneficial.html Cancer Mon, 09 May 2011 17:00:01 EST news224177471 Colorectal cancer screening rates increased for Medicare beneficiaries when coverage was expanded to average-risk individuals, but racial disparities still exist, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-colorectal-cancer-screening-medicare-beneficiaries.html Cancer Tue, 03 May 2011 13:20:01 EST news223646624