The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Noel S. Weiss
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters2 June 2009The Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal CancerNoel S. Weiss, MD, DrPH and V. Paul Doria-Rose, DVM, PhDNoel S. Weiss, MD, DrPHFrom University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195; and National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-7354.Search for more papers by this author and V. Paul Doria-Rose, DVM, PhDFrom University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195; and National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-7354.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-11-200906020-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:To provide information regarding the efficacy of screening colonoscopy in preventing death from colorectal cancer, Baxter and colleagues (1) analyzed administrative claims data from Ontario, Canada. Although this choice had the advantage of yielding a very large sample (10 292 deaths from colorectal cancer), it had some drawbacks that we believe seriously threaten the validity of the results obtained.First, colonoscopy, like most screening tests for cancer, can also be used to evaluate persons who are suspected to have cancer, on the basis of symptoms or signs. Because the case patients in this case–control study all had colorectal ...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. Weiss NS. Analysis of case-control studies of the efficacy of screening for cancer: How should we deal with tests done in persons with symptoms? Am J Epidemiol. 1998;147:1099-102. [PMID: 9645787] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Weiss NS, Lazovich D. Case-control studies of screening efficacy: the use of persons newly diagnosed with cancer who later sustain an unfavorable outcome. Am J Epidemiol. 1996;143:319-22. [PMID: 8633615] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Ransohoff DF. How much does colonoscopy reduce colon cancer mortality? [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:50-2. [PMID: 19075200] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Noel S. Weiss, MD, DrPH; V. Paul Doria-Rose, DVM, PhDAffiliations: From University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195; and National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-7354.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 How Much Does Colonoscopy Reduce Colon Cancer Mortality? David F. Ransohoff 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 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 Metrics Cited byScreening colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy for reduction of colorectal cancer incidence: A case-control studyScreening flexible sigmoidoscopy versus colonoscopy for reduction of colorectal cancer mortalityChanges in screening colonoscopy following Medicare reimbursement and cost‐sharing changesCase-Control Studies of the Efficacy of Screening Tests That Seek to Prevent Cancer Incidence: Results of an Approach That Utilizes Administrative Claims Data That Do Not Provide Information Regarding Test IndicationObservational methods to assess the effectiveness of screening colonoscopy in reducing right colon cancer mortality risk: SCOLARDetermination of Colonoscopy Indication From Administrative Claims DataA public-health perspective on screening colonoscopy 2 June 2009Volume 150, Issue 11Page: 817-818KeywordsCancer detection and diagnosisCancer preventionCancer screeningColonoscopyColorectal cancerConflicts of interestMortalityOdds ratioPatientsSigns and symptoms ePublished: 2 June 2009 Issue Published: 2 June 2009 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...