Virtual Colonoscopy

category: Dafé’s Café - Daily Dose of Medical News,MyDocHub
by Dafé,

Virtual Colonoscopy

For those that have undergone the invasive and often dreaded colonoscopy, this is good news. Colorectal cancer or colon cancer is serious business, it is estimated to claim roughly 50,000 lives this year, and there is a strong need to increase the number of people, especially those over 50 to do regular screenings. The new alternative to colonoscopy involving X-rays shows that it is as effective at spotting most cancers as the regularly used colonoscopy.

The report in today’s New England Journal of Medicine, indicates that “the X-ray test’s real value may be in showing who really needs a regular colonoscopy — it was better at ruling cancer out than it was at detecting it.” Another value is the cost, at roughly $300 to $800 versus the cost of up to $3,000 for colonoscopies. It could be more widely used, especially since it is less invasive and not to mention that colonoscopy involves sedation and a missed day of work, as well as the pills or liquids to clean out the bowel.

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Colon Cancer Test: Fewer For Older People at MyDocHub Blog - Online Health Community | 07 October 2008, 19:54
[...] The task force also did not endorse three newest tests: CT colonography; an X-ray test known as virtual colonoscopy; and a stool DNA [...]