Colorectal Cancer News

CT Colonography Detects Cancers Inside and Outside the Colon

More than one in every 200 asymptomatic people receiving a "virtual colonoscopy" were found to have a clinically unsuspected malignancy, most of which were located outside of the colon. The majority of these are found at an early stage, so results of the screening are typically favorable.

Proponents of a virtual colonoscopy hope this research will persuade the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow the test to be covered by Medicare as another option for colon cancer screening. It is an alternative to the more invasive colonoscopy.

"Now they have proof," Andrew Spiegel, CEO of the Colon Cancer Alliance, a national patient advocacy organization, told Medscape Oncology. "This study shows that there is indeed evidence that the test is beneficial and relevant to the Medicare-age population."

References
Lowry, Fran. CT Colonography Detects Cancers Inside and Outside the Colon. Medscape News. 2010 April 1.

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