Under use of colon cancer screening

By April Clarkson, | Health | 0 Comments

A study of patients with colon cancer suggests that screening is not being used nearly as widely as it ought to be.
Although screening for colon cancer, by fecal occult blood test or colonosocopy, is recommended for older adults, many of those diagnosed with cancer have not taken advantage of this service. That’s the conclusion of a study carried out by experts at the University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western University who have reviewed the screening histories of nearly 6,000 elderly patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Fewer than half had had a screening procedure at least six months before their diagnosis. That is, these patients had no real ‘history’ of screening. Those who did have a screening history tended, as you might expect, to have earlier stage cancers which, presumably, were more curable. Both doctors and the public need to do more if they are to benefit from the advantages of screening - if you are due one, why not discuss it with your doctor now?