Research shows people avoid screening because they are often embarrassed, afraid or do not want to have invasive tests. Sometimes doctors do not fully inform their patients of the need and insurers have different payment policies, Levin said. Contrary to its name, virtual colonoscopy is not totally noninvasive. The bowel must still be cleaned using laxatives and enemas, and like the scope procedures, gas is introduced through a tube to inflate the area for proper viewing. But after that, patients need only to lie on a table for a five-second scan.
Colon cancer begins at a microscopic level but then progresses to what is called an early adenoma.
Ten or 15 years can pass before these growths turn into cancer. To increase screening, Dr. Gerald Woolam, president of the American Cancer Society, said the organization will launch a public awareness campaign that includes print ads, billboards and celebrity testimonials such the late cartoonist Charles Schulz's disclosure recently that he suffered from the disease. A physician outreach program that focuses on primary care doctors will begin later this year. Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved.