Study: Sigmoidoscopy Colon Cancer Test Could Save Lives
A shorter colon cancer test called a sigmoidoscopy may help save lives. The BBC reports that the five-minute test does not require sedation like a colonscopy. However, it does require the same bowel preparation the night before, which includes consuming an unpleasant laxative drink.
Easier to conduct than a colonoscopy, which is not suitable for the
general population because it requires sedation and can be a lengthy process because the entire bowel must be examined, a sigmoidoscopy can be carried out by a nurse and does not require any pain relief.
A one-off examination of over 40,000 men and women aged between 55 and 64 in which any polyps were detected and removed reduced the number of cases of the disease by one third, and deaths by 43%, when compared with a group who received no intervention.
WebMD reports that the test can be helpful even though it only looks for polyps on the left-side of the colon.
The downside of sigmoidoscopy is that it can see only the left side of the colon. Can that really be enough to prevent colon cancer?
Yes, find Wendy S. Atkin, PhD, MPH, of Imperial College, London, and colleagues. Atkin's team was looking for a cost-effective way to screen the entire U.K. population for colon cancer. Early studies suggested that just a single sigmoidoscopy around age 60 could prevent colon cancer.
How? Sigmoidoscopy is just as good as colonoscopy at finding and removing precancerous colon polyps in the left side of the colon, where two out of three colon cancers arise. Atkin's research suggested that a look at the left colon can identify the minority of people who need a full colonoscopy -- and that it can also identify the majority of people who will never need another invasive colon screening test.
Because this colon cancer test is fast and there is no sedation more people may decide to get one.
