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There are a few promising non-invasive tests on the horizon..... a blood test
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Potsdam, Germany, Oct 26, 2010 (Thomson Reuters ONE via COMTEX) -- Signature Diagnostics / Signature Diagnostics to Present Company's Blood-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening Strategy at the 18th UEGW Congress in Barcelona Processed and transmitted by Thomson Reuters. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The numbers of injuries reported in that article are far less than the probability of missing cancer reported in the OP. And as your article states, use a specialist and do a good prep.
There's also another fairly recent procedure out there that's available now. It's called Virtual Colonoscopy and it is performed by taking images of the large intestine using computerized tomography (CT) or, less often, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). You still have to prep the day before and there's the minor discomfort to put up with when they insert a tube to enlarge the large intestine with gas or a liquid. But the picture taking part only takes about 10 minutes. I think these are available at major hospitals and medical institutions like universities at this time. This NIH link gives a good summary.
It also has a unique advantage over the regular optical colonoscopy because it's capable of finding malignant cancers outside the colon in places like the kidneys, lungs, etc. Here's a very good article about all this.
"A new, large-scale study of more than 10,000 adults found that more than one in every 200 asymptomatic people screened with CT colonography, or virtual colonoscopy, had clinically unsuspected malignant cancer and more than half of the cancers were located outside the colon. The findings were published in the April issue of the journal Radiology."
The problem with all of these "non invasive" and "virtual" colonoscopies is that they will never really replace colonoscopy...
None of these other tests allow the physician to not only "take a look" but also to "remove" any polyps that are identified both for diagnosis and treatment...
If the polyps is benign or malignant...its GONE
If you have a "virtual" colonoscopy and possible polyps are noted, you still have to go through a regular colonoscopy to have the polyps removed...
Having had a colonoscopy I can attest that the only uncomfortable part of the procedure is the prep....and you still have to go through the prep for a virtual scope...to me there is NO advantage to the virtual route.
I would also love to see stats showing "50%" of folks are skipping out on recommended colonoscopies....
The problem with all of these "non invasive" and "virtual" colonoscopies is that they will never really replace colonoscopy...
None of these other tests allow the physician to not only "take a look" but also to "remove" any polyps that are identified both for diagnosis and treatment...
If the polyps is benign or malignant...its GONE
If you have a "virtual" colonoscopy and possible polyps are noted, you still have to go through a regular colonoscopy to have the polyps removed...
Having had a colonoscopy I can attest that the only uncomfortable part of the procedure is the prep....and you still have to go through the prep for a virtual scope...to me there is NO advantage to the virtual route.
I agree with what you said. There is no doubt that the colonospic procedure which examines and can remove any polyps found in a single exam is a wonderful thing. I don't think these new procedures are meant to replace that. They are simply another tool in the arsenal against colon cancer. If they pan out, they will be a huge benefit to all those who, for whatever their reasons, are reluctant to go in for the full procedure that you had. If something is detected in a blood or stool test, at least they know that they need treatment whereas in the past they may not have had much of a clue until things got worse.
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I would also love to see stats showing "50%" of folks are skipping out on recommended colonoscopies....
The medical profession keeps mentioning how high the number of non-screened people are. Here's one study that looked at it and these were just the people that had been advised by their doctors to have it done but avoided it. The highlights are my own.
"RESULTS Half of all patients referred for colonoscopy failed to complete the procedure, overwhelmingly because of nonscheduling. In multivariable analysis, female sex, younger age, and insurance type predicted poorer adherence. Patient-reported barriers to screening completion included cognitive-emotional factors (e.g., lack of perceived risk for CRC, fear of pain, and concerns about modesty and the bowel preparation), logistic obstacles (e.g., cost, other health problems, and competing demands), and health system barriers (e.g., scheduling challenges, long waiting times). Women reported more concerns about modesty and other aspects of the procedure than men. Only 40% of patients were aware of alternative screening options.
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