Testing Lowers Colon, Rectal Cancer Death Rate 30%, Study Finds

Doctors could lower the death rate from colon and rectal cancer by 30% if they checked all older Americans once every 10 years with widely available viewing scopes, researchers at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland report.

Many health organizations already recommend routine use of this exam, known as sigmoidoscopy. However, some experts disagree, and the new research is the first large, carefully conducted study to show that it actually saves lives.

The study was published in today’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Using the scope, doctors and nurses can spot ominous growths in the colon and rectum before they become cancerous. The growths, called polyps, can then be removed.

The risk of colon cancer starts to climb about age 55. The new study suggests that typically the polyps take 10 years to become cancerous.

Dr. Joe V. Selby, who directed the study, recommended that everyone get this test about age 50 and have it repeated once a decade.