Colonoscopy does little or no better than symptomatic screening of cancer: Study

As colorectal cancer cases rise, the advice to undergo periodic colonoscopy a test that includes inserting a flexible tube in the rectum to look for any swelling or tissue growth that can evolve into cancer-has also gone up. But, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has claimed that colonoscopy does little or no better than symptomatic examination when it comes to picking up colorectal cancer early.

- DurgeshNandan Jha

The study included 95.000 participants from Norway, Sweden, Poland, and the Netherlands aged between 55 and 64. They were randomized into two groups: one group was offered one screening with colonoscopy, the other was not offered to screen at all. According to the University of Oslo that led the study, all the participants were followed for over 10 years, to see if colonoscopy prevents colorectal cancer. Follow-up data were available for 84,585 participants in Poland, Norway, and Sweden-28,220 in the invited group, 11,843 of whom (42.0%) underwent colonoscopy screening, and 56,365 in the usual-care group.