Colorectal Cancer News

Colonoscopies May Not Have "Blind Spot" After All

In addition to reducing the risk of cancer on the left side of the colon, new research indicates that colonoscopies may also reduce cancer risk on the right side. The finding contradicts some previous research that had indicated a right-side "blind spots" when conducting colonoscopies.

However, the right-side benefit shown in the new study, published in the Jan. 4 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, was slightly less effective than that seen on the left side.

"We didn't really have robust data proving that anything is very good at preventing right-sided cancer," said Dr. Vivek Kaul, acting chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "Here is a paper that suggests that risk reduction is pretty robust even in the right side. [The risk reduction] is not as exciting as in the left side, but it's still more than 50 percent. That's a little hard to ignore."

No one knows why colonoscopy seems to be superior in detecting problems on the left side of the colon.

Reference:
Gardner, Amanda. Colonoscopies May Not Have "Blind Spot" After All. HealthDay News. 2011, January 3.

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