The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Perry J. Pickhardt, David H. Kim, Cesare Hassan
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters2 June 2009The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal CancerSanford D. Markowitz, MD, PhD, Steven H. Itzkowitz, MD, and Barry M. Berger, MDSanford D. Markowitz, MD, PhDFrom Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029; and EXACT Sciences Corporation, Marlborough, MA 01752.Search for more papers by this author, Steven H. Itzkowitz, MDFrom Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029; and EXACT Sciences Corporation, Marlborough, MA 01752.Search for more papers by this author, and Barry M. Berger, MDFrom Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029; and EXACT Sciences Corporation, Marlborough, MA 01752.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-11-200906020-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The recent study by Baxter and colleagues (1) highlights that although colonoscopic screening decreases death rates from colon cancer, it has limitations, particularly with respect to preventing deaths from cancer of the right colon. Baxter and colleagues suggest that these limitations might reflect the technical difficulty of routinely reaching and identifying right-sided colonic lesions, which may be flat and harder to visualize or might have a different biology from more distal cancer. Indeed, it is well established, for example in the context of the Lynch syndrome, that colon cancer with microsatellite instability, which predominantly appears in the ...References1. Baxter NN, Goldwasser MA, Paszat LF, Saskin R, Urbach DR, Rabeneck L. Association of colonoscopy and death from colorectal cancer. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:1-8. [PMID: 19075198] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Levin B, Lieberman DA, McFarland B, Smith RA, Brooks D, Andrews KS, et al; American Cancer Society Colorectal Cancer Advisory Group. Screening and surveillance for the early detection of colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps, 2008: a joint guideline from the American Cancer Society, the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, and the American College of Radiology. CA Cancer J Clin. 2008;58:130-60. [PMID: 18322143] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Itzkowitz S, Brand R, Jandorf L, Durkee K, Millholland J, Rabeneck L, et al. A simplified, noninvasive stool DNA test for colorectal cancer detection. Am J Gastroenterol. 2008;103:2862-70. [PMID: 18759824] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Ahlquist DA, Sargent DJ, Loprinzi CL, Levin TR, Rex DK, Ahnen DJ, et al. Stool DNA and occult blood testing for screen detection of colorectal neoplasia. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:441-50, W81. [PMID: 18838724] LinkGoogle Scholar5. Chen WD, Han ZJ, Skoletsky J, Olson J, Sah J, Myeroff L, et al. Detection in fecal DNA of colon cancer-specific methylation of the nonexpressed vimentin gene. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005;97:1124-32. [PMID: 16077070] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029; and EXACT Sciences Corporation, Marlborough, MA 01752.Disclosures:Employment: B.M. Berger (EXACT Sciences). Grants received: S.H. Itzkowitz (EXACT Sciences). Patents received: S.D. Markowitz (EXACT Sciences). PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoStool DNA and Occult Blood Testing for Screen Detection of Colorectal Neoplasia David A. Ahlquist , Daniel J. Sargent , Charles L. Loprinzi , Theodore R. Levin , Douglas K. Rex , Dennis J. Ahnen , Kandice Knigge , M. Peter Lance , Lawrence J. Burgart , Stanley R. Hamilton , James E. Allison , Michael J. Lawson , Mary E. Devens , Jonathan J. Harrington , and Shauna L. Hillman Association of Colonoscopy and Death From Colorectal Cancer Nancy N. Baxter , Meredith A. Goldwasser , Lawrence F. Paszat , Refik Saskin , David R. Urbach , and Linda Rabeneck The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer Amit Gupta and David A. Ahlquist The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer Noel S. Weiss and V. Paul Doria-Rose The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer Stephen M. Picca The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer Perry J. Pickhardt , David H. Kim , and Cesare Hassan The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer Joseph Romagnuolo , Alan N. Barkun , and Amee R. Manges The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer Nancy N. Baxter and Linda Rabeneck The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer Jordan J. Karlitz Metrics Cited ByNIK- and IKKβ-binding protein promotes colon cancer metastasis by activating the classical NF-κB pathway and MMPsProstaglandin E2 promotes liver cancer cell growth by the upregulation of FUSE-binding protein 1 expressionPrevalence and predictors of interval colorectal cancers in Medicare beneficiariesStool DNA Testing for Colorectal Cancer: Development and AdvancesIdentification of a Novel TGFβ/PKA Signaling Transduceome in Mediating Control of Cell Survival and Metastasis in Colon CancerIncremental Advances in Excremental Cancer Detection Tests 2 June 2009Volume 150, Issue 11Page: 816-817KeywordsCancer screeningColonColonoscopyColorectal cancerColorectal cancer screeningDNAGenetic testingLesionsScreening guidelines ePublished: 2 June 2009 Issue Published: 2 June 2009 CopyrightCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...