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Colon Screenings Don't Follow Guidelines, Study Suggests
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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 "There are a lot of potential explanations for colonoscopy patterns, and not all screenings are conducted for the same reason," he said. "For example, seniors are often tested for anemia -- having a low blood count -- and in that case, a colonoscopy is commonly used as a diagnostic tool to establish that condition, not as a screen for cancer. And this distinction may not be indicated in the data this study used."
"However, I agree in spirit with what the author is saying here," Chang added. "The last thing you want to do is to generally discourage getting a colonoscopy. Overall, the message has to be that screening is important, and we should all encourage it. But it doesn't mean that patients should get screening beyond the time it would be beneficial. And there is no need to have a colonoscopy for someone who does not have a lengthy life expectancy."
More information
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The American Cancer Society has more on cancer screening guidelines.
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Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 4/6/2009
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SOURCES: Louise C. Walter, M.D., division of geriatrics, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, San Francisco, and associate professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco; George Chang, M.D., assistant professor, surgical oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston; April 7, 2009, Annals of Internal Medicine
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