Using colonoscopy to screen average-risk people can reduce the overall risk of a late-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis by about 70 percent, according to a new study.People who have had a colonoscopy in the past decade are less likely to be diagnosed with advanced colon cancer than those who haven’t been screened recently, according to a new study.
In addition to the 70 percent reduction in overall risk, people who had been screened using colonoscopy had a 74 percent reduction in risk for left-sided colorectal cancer and a 64 percent reduction in risk for right-sided colorectal cancer. (The right side of the colon, also known as the ascending colon, travels up the right side of the abdomen. The left side, or descending colon, travels down the left side of the abdomen.)
Colonoscopy has been widely recommended as a screening tool for colorectal cancer since it allows a physician to detect and remove polyps that might turn into cancer, and find early-stage cancers that are more likely to respond to treatment.
This study doesn’t show that colonoscopy is the only test, but it does show that colonoscopy has the advantage in being able to see the right side (of the colon)… unlike sigmoidoscopy and fecal occult blood testing.
According to the American Cancer Society, about one in 20 people will be diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer during their lifetime.
A 2009 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that colonoscopy did a better job of lowering death rates for left-sided colon cancer than it did for right-sided. A possible reason for this is that it’s technically more difficult to reach the right side of the colon. Also, bowel preparation may not be as effective in the right colon. What’s more, there may be biological differences in the tumors that occur in the left versus the right colon. For example, polyps on the right side may be flatter and, thus, harder to find and remove.
Welling Cancer Treatment Protocol has shown wonderful results in the treatment of colon cancer in the past 10 years. Meet our consultants to know more about the specialized treatment for colon cancer and how it can benefit you.
How Colonoscopy can help in the treatment of Colon Cancer?
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