Colonoscopy still the best for cancer screening

By Robert Cervin, | Health | 0 Comments

A comparison shows that standard colonoscopy is better than barium enema and ‘virtual’ colonoscopy for cancer screening.
Colonoscopy involves examination of the colon for tiny polyps that could develop into cancer. In recent years, there has been interest in a non-invasive form of colon imaging known as computed tomography colonography (CTC) or ‘virtual’ colonoscopy. Then there is barium enema, which has long been used to examine the digestive tract.

A team at Duke University, North Carolina, has been looking at how the three techniques compare. A group of 614 people at risk of colon cancer was offered all three techniques. This showed that standard colonoscopy detected 98 per cent of large polyps (10 mm or greater) and 99 per cent of smaller polyps. This was compared with a corresponding sensitivity of 59 per cent and 51 per cent for CTC and 48 per cent and 35 per cent for barium enema. The findings have implications for those who are carrying out colon cancer screens - patients may prefer CTC but must be advised that at present it is not the most accurate method of screening, although it is still evolving.