New simple test for colon cancer
A British study of 170,000 people over a 16 year period has found that a single examination of the rectum and lower colon between the ages of 55 and 64 cuts colon cancer mortality by more than 40%.
The British medical journal, The Lancet, said the relatively simple test “could massively reduce colorectal cancer incidence and mortality” with the study showing that the incidence was reduced by a third compared with a control group that did not undergo the examination.
Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed form of cancer worldwide involving more than one million cases and 600,000 deaths annually, but the most efficient ways of screening have been widely debated.
The new study supports the procedure of sigmoidoscopy, performed without anaesthesia, which allows a physician to examine the rectum and lower colon.
It is seen as less invasive and less costly than a full colonoscopy in which the entire large intestine if checked while the patient is under anaesthesia.
