The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Jordan J. Karlitz
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters2 June 2009The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal CancerJordan J. Karlitz, MDJordan J. Karlitz, MDFrom Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-11-200906020-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Several issues in the article by Baxter and colleagues (1) raise concern about the adequacy of the examinations performed and therefore the clinical significance of the findings. First, the cecal intubation rates ranged from 79% to 83% among all colonoscopists. For gastroenterologists specifically, the cecal intubation rate was only 83%, which is well below current accepted rates. In subgroup analysis, the cecal intubation rate was even lower (73%) in the case patients. Baxter and colleagues appropriately performed additional subgroup analysis to compare complete versus incomplete colonoscopy in terms of cancer detection rates. However, it can be hypothesized ...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. Rex DK, Bond JH, Winawer S, Levin TR, Burt RW, Johnson DA, et al; U. S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. Quality in the technical performance of colonoscopy and the continuous quality improvement process for colonoscopy: recommendations of the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. Am J Gastroenterol. 2002;97:1296-308. [PMID: 12094842] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Rogart JN, Siddiqui UD, Jamidar PA, Aslanian HR. Fellow involvement may increase adenoma detection rates during colonoscopy. Am J Gastroenterol. 2008;103:2841-6. [PMID: 18759826] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAssociation 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 Sanford D. Markowitz , Steven H. Itzkowitz , and Barry M. Berger 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 Metrics Cited ByAssociation Between Colonoscopy and Colorectal Cancer Mortality in a US Cohort According to Site of Cancer and Colonoscopist SpecialtyA public-health perspective on screening colonoscopyColorectal cancer mortality prevented by use and attributable to nonuse of colonoscopyProtection From Colorectal Cancer After Colonoscopy A Population-Based, Case–Control StudyHermann Brenner, MD, MPH, Jenny Chang-Claude, PhD, Christoph M. Seiler, MD, MSc, Alexander Rickert, MD, and Michael Hoffmeister, PhD 2 June 2009Volume 150, Issue 11Page: 816KeywordsAdenomasColonColonoscopyColorectal cancerConflicts of interestGastroenterology and hepatologyIntubationLesions ePublished: 2 June 2009 Issue Published: 2 June 2009 CopyrightCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...