New Colorectal Cancer Guidelines Focus on Prevention
Representatives from five major US cancer care groups have collaborated to create new colorectal cancer screening guidelines designed to detect precancerous adenomas and malignant tumors in patients showing no symptoms.
The American Cancer Society, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American College of Radiology weighed the potential risks and benefits of each procedure before reaching a consensus on the new recommendations.
After studying recent findings and dividing existing screening tests into two categories (one which screens for both adenomatous polyps and cancer and another that detects cancer alone), the experts added two tests for asymptomatic men and women at average risk: Stool DNA and CT Colonography or CTC, often referred to as virtual colonoscopy.
Members of the expert panel said their primary goal in rewriting the guidelines was to emphasize cancer prevention. As one gastroenterologist stated,
“What distinguishes these new guidelines is an emphasis on the importance and value of preventing colorectal cancer…”
Amy E. Foxx-Orenstein, DO, FACG
President, American College of Gastroenterology
The team also stressed that less invasive screening methods like CTC and fecal tests have their limitations and must be repeated regularly to be effective so doctors and patients need to consider their options carefully.
If you’d like more information about the new recommendations, they’ve been published in the March 5, 2008, edition of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Gastroenterology, and Radiology.
Source: C3 Colorectal Cancer Coalition
Related Links: MSN; ScienceDaily; Los Angeles Times; ACS
Related Video: Diagnostic Radiology – Virtual Colonoscopy from the National Institutes of Health
Related Podcast: Gastrointestinal Cancers – Progress with Targeted Therapies from Audio Medica
Technorati Tags: flexible sigmoidoscopy; US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer; University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Bernard Levin, MD; oncology
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