Screening for Colorectal Cancer
Authors: David L. Keller
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2012)

Letters7 August 2012Screening for Colorectal CancerDavid L. Keller, MDDavid L. Keller, MDFrom Providence Medical Group, Torrance, CA 90503.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-157-3-201208070-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The following comments pertain to the Best Practice Advice summarized in Figure 2 of the clinical guideline on CRC screening from Qaseem and colleagues (1). The section entitled “Harms of unnecessary screening” should have been named “Harms of screening” because these harms (or risks for harm) are present whether the screening is necessary or not. The possibility of harm caused by a “necessary” screening procedure must never be neglected by the clinician, especially when obtaining informed consent from the patient.There also was no mention of radiation exposure on the list of harms of double-contrast barium enema ...References1. Qaseem A, Denberg TD, Hopkins RH, Humphrey LL, Levine J, Sweet DE, et al; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Screening for colorectal cancer: a guidance statement from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2012;156:378-86. [PMID: 22393133] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Neri E, Faggioni L, Cerri F, Turini F, Angeli S, Cini L, et al. CT colonography versus double-contrast barium enema for screening of colorectal cancer: comparison of radiation burden. Abdom Imaging. 2010;35:596-601. [PMID: 19777290] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Johnson CD, MacCarty RL, Welch TJ, Wilson LA, Harmsen WS, Ilstrup DM, et al. Comparison of the relative sensitivity of CT colonography and double-contrast barium enema for screen detection of colorectal polyps. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2004;2:314-21. [PMID: 15067626] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. AHRQ Publication no. 08-05124-EF-3. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2008. Accessed at www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf08/colocancer/colors.htm on 14 March 2012. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Providence Medical Group, Torrance, CA 90503.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoScreening for Colorectal Cancer: A Guidance Statement From the American College of Physicians Amir Qaseem , Thomas D. Denberg , Robert H. Hopkins Jr. , Linda L. Humphrey , Joel Levine , Donna E. Sweet , Paul Shekelle , and Screening for Colorectal Cancer Tazia K. Stagg Screening for Colorectal Cancer Thomas D. Denberg , Linda L. Humphrey , Paul Shekelle , and Amir Qaseem Screening for Colorectal Cancer Ayokunle T. Abegunde Metrics 7 August 2012Volume 157, Issue 3Page: 217-218KeywordsCancer screeningColorectal cancerColorectal cancer screeningComputed axial tomographyConflicts of interestLife expectancyMedical risk factorsRadiation exposureScreening guidelinesTreatment guidelines ePublished: 7 August 2012 Issue Published: 7 August 2012 CopyrightCopyright © 2012 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...