The company was billed a fixed cost per examination. The mean age of the population was 53 years old. Eleven of the 18 patients had minimal cancers. Patient acceptance is high. The Eli Lilly Colon Cancer Prevention Program Background.
Colorectal carcinoma is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
Removal of adenomatous polyps, the precursor of colorectal cancer, can prevent the disease. A program using colonoscopy and polypectomy as the preventive tools and established as an industry-private practice coalition is described in detail. Colonoscopy is begun at 40 years of age in individuals at average risk and is repeated every 5 years in participants with a normal exam. Generally accepted guidelines for follow-up are used in participants found to have polyps. The colonoscopic findings, pathology results and absence of serious complications in the first 1324 participants in the program are reported.