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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next >> The ACS estimates that more than 112,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year. Colorectal cancers will also take the lives of about 52,000 Americans.
The disease is highly treatable if caught early, however.
Virtual colonoscopy involves a combination of sophisticated X-rays and CT scans of the abdomen after it has been pumped with air. A two- and three-dimensional computer model of the gastrointestinal tract is then generated, potentially revealing cancerous and precancerous lesions. If dangerous lesions are spotted, a second, more invasive procedure is required.
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Unlike traditional colonoscopy, the virtual method is faster, involves no sedation, no post-procedure recovery, and no risk of invasive complications such as abdominal bleeding or life-threatening bowel perforation.
However, the ACS has not yet backed this option as a proven screening method, citing the need for further research.
Instead, the group suggests other screening methods, including blood stool tests; a barium enema combined with X-rays; a flexible sigmoidoscopy (involving the insertion of a two-foot-long optical tube through the rectum to examine the lower colon) and traditional optical colonoscopy, which involves the insertion of a longer lighted tube to examine the entire colon.
All people over 50 are encouraged to undergo a regular colonoscopy once every 10 years, or either a barium enema or a flexible sigmoidoscopy (with or without a yearly blood test) once every five years. The ACS does not deem a digital rectal exam to be a sufficient means of screening.
To compare some of these options, Pickhardt and his colleagues developed a mathematical model involving 100,000 patients with an average risk for colorectal cancer. They noted that 75 percent of the American population is subject to such risk.
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