In the July 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs report on the largest study ever done on screening the entire colon for cancer in people without symptoms. Using colonoscopy to examine the entire colon s lining in 3,121 apparently healthy people aged 50-75, the researchers found that about 10 percent had colon cancer or serious precancerous growths. I think we certainly demonstrated that you can make a case for colonoscopy as a primary screening test in men, said first author David Lieberman, M.D., Chief of Gastroenterology at the Portland VA Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University. Cooperative Studies Program, Dr. Lieberman and his colleagues conducted the study at 13 VA medical centers around the country.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in North America.
This particular kind of cancer is marked by a premalignant phase, growths called polyps in the colon lining. Not all polyps are destined to become cancerous, Dr. Lieberman noted, but those that progress to cancer typically develop abnormalities along the way that flag them as dangerous. Virtually all patients who develop colon cancer go through that premalignant stage, Dr. Lieberman emphasized. This gives us a unique opportunity. If we can find the serious polyps and remove them, we can prevent colon cancer.