Colon Cancer Screening, Getting the Word out
Posted Tuesday, December 5, 2006
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Dr. Brian Hudes of Advanced Gastroenterology Associates in Johns Creek recently returned from attending the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting and postgraduate course. Dr. Hudes reports that there is a renewed emphasis on getting the word out to the public about colon cancer screening. Primary care doctors and providers have done such a great job of sending patients for colon cancer screening that the number of new cases of colon cancer has declined in the last few years and those cancers that are found are often not as advanced and therefore more treatable. “The American College of Gastroenterology lists colonoscopy as the preferred method for colon cancer screening” Dr. Hudes shared. He continued, “Other organizations including the Multi-Society Task Force and the American Cancer Society recognize annual stool testing for blood plus flexible sigmoidoscopy and barium enema every five years as an acceptable alternative to colonoscopy”. He explained that while there are other ways to screen for colon cancer than a colonoscopy people need to understand the overall plan that they enter into for colon cancer screening. Yearly stool testing for blood means every year, not every other year or once in a while. If you miss a year you lose the effectiveness of the screening program.
The problem with alternate colon cancer screening strategies is compliance and an expectation of not having a colonoscopy. Dr. Hudes explains, “yearly stool testing for blood must be done every year to give the benefit of the screening and you must have the flexible sigmoidoscopy and barium enema on schedule as well”. According to well-established reports, stool testing for blood can have as much as a 5-10% false positive rate (a positive test but no cancer present). Over 10 years most patients undergoing alternate colon screening strategies will require a colonoscopy to evaluate the reason for a positive stool test for blood. The false positive rate and the need to have a diagnostic rather than screening colonoscopy is the reason the ACG recommends colonoscopy for screening.
Dr. Stephen Rashbaum of Advanced Gastroenterology Associates in Johns Creek points out that colonoscopy can be done comfortably and safely in the outpatient setting without the need to go to the hospital. “We perform the majority of our colonoscopies in the Hudes Endoscopy Center adjacent to our office. Patients have convenience and the knowledge that they are in a facility dedicated to only providing only gastroenterology services such as colonoscopy”. By working with a specialized team of nurses, technicians and nurse anesthetists, Drs Hudes and Rashbaum can provide high quality, convenient, safe and comfortable colon cancer screening right here in Johns Creek.
Dr. Hudes researched the newest colon cancer screening technologies available at the conference. He found out that great strides are being made in “virtual colonoscopy” also know as CT colonography. “This is a great new technology that has intrigued many gastroenterology specialists” he reports. Currently, this technology still requires a full bowel clean out and inflating the colon with air to render adequate images of the colon. Unfortunately, virtual colonoscopy is not approved for colon cancer screening and the research has showed mixed results on its effectiveness. “Even if virtual colonoscopy can overcome its technical limitations it will still require patients to have a traditional colonoscopy to examine and remove any suspicious lesion found by the CT method”. This need for additional testing and lack of a being a definitive diagnostic screening tool has most gastroenterologists waiting to see how the research goes to see it is a feasible colon cancer screening method.
No matter what approach you and your physician decide is best for you, the first step is starting the program. Colon cancer screening is recommended to start at age 50 for all people, women and men, without other risk factors. People with a family history of cancer in the colon, uterus, stomach, small bowel, kidney ovaries, brain and liver may need to start screening earlier because of an increased risk of developing colon cancer.
Drs. Hudes and Rashbaum provide colon cancer screening services, general gastroenterology consultation services and treatment of liver disease exclusively at there Johns Creek office. They and their endoscopy center participate in most insurance plans. Call 678-475-1606 to schedule your colon cancer screening today.
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