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The article discusses the efficacy of screening colonoscopy procedures in the U.S.

In 2006, people in their fifties and sixties will be offered screening for colon cancer. Nurse endoscopists will be heavily involved in providing screening services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses two studies published in "The New England Journal of Medicine" regarding the effectiveness of CT colonography and repeat screening for colorectal cancers. The National CT Colonography Trial found that CT colonography was able to detect lesions measuring 10 mm or more in 90 percent of patients. In the second study, no cancers were found at the rescreening of older people who underwent baseline screening colonoscopy.

The article offers information on colonoscopy, the preferred screening procedure for colorectal cancer (CRC). The screening guidelines issued by the American College of Gastroenterology vary according to average risk, moderate risk and high risk. Nonadherence to colonoscopy is caused by preparatory regimen and the procedure's invasiveness. Bowel preparation formulations are either glycol-electrolyte lavage solution formulations or sodium phosphate preparations. Common side effects for the formulations are nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramping.

This article presents updates on studies related to gastroenterology. Kinesh Patel, gastroenterologist at Hammersmith Hospital in Imperial College of Medicine in London, England said that colonoscopy should not be denied to elderly because of intolerability. Another study led by Glen Doherty, MD, gastroenterologist at the Centre for Colorectal Disease in Indianapolis, Indiana, which says that very old patients with colon cancer deserve optimal therapy. Investigational drug Fospropofol, is both safe and effective for colonoscopy sedation.

The article discusses research on the effectiveness of virtual colonoscopy, or computed tomography colonography (CTC), in colon cancer screening. It references a study by Doctor Perry Pickhardt and colleagues, published in a 2007 issue of "Cancer." It compares virtual colonoscopy with optical colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy. It states that lesions <5 millimeter are not clinically relevant in the screening of colorectal cancer.

The article focuses on the results of the Polyp Prevention Trial conducted by Adeyinka Laiyemo and colleagues which showed that surveillance colonoscopy may be overused and there remains an ongoing risk for colorectal cancer despite frequent surveillance colonoscopies. Laiyemo states that they have observed overutilization of surveillance colonoscopy in low-risk patients with a corresponding low yield of advanced adenoma detection.

The article focuses on the Southern Community Cohort Study conducted by researchers from Tennessee and Maryland. It revealed that among the 41,830 who participated, 27.3% of blacks with first-degree relatives diagnosed with colon cancer prior to turning 50 years old reported a colonoscopy within the past five years compared with 43.1% of white participants. The study also demonstrated that blacks had an OR of 0.51 for undergoing recommended screening procedures.

The article focuses on the colorectal cancer screening guidelines released by representatives from the American Cancer Society, the American College of Radiology and the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force. The guidelines are aimed at offering physicians and patients alternatives to often-avoided tests. The tests added to a range of colorectal screening methods are the stool DNA and computed tomographic colonography. Some of the screening methods recommended by the panel include flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years and colonoscopy every 10 years.

The article discusses a study which identified a possible colon cancer biomarker. Serum samples from two institutions to determine the levels of colon cancer-specific antigen-2 (CCSA-2) were analyzed by Robert H. Getzenberg and his colleagues. The researchers found that CCSA-2 is a potential biomarker for colon cancer that has high sensitivity an specificity. They obtained samples from patients who underwent colonoscopy.

The article announces the issuance of new recommendations by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that emphasize colonoscopy as the preferred method of colorectal cancer screening for both average-risk and high-risk women. The known advantages of colonoscopy have prompted the college to change it guidelines. According to gynecologic oncologist Carol Brown, colonoscopy is the gold standard when it comes to colorectal screening.

The article presents the findings of a study on the role of having frequent colonoscopies in detecting adenoma, conducted by the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study found that among patients in whom 1 or 2 small tubular adenomas were detected on an initial screening colonoscopy, a significant number had positive findings on a third colonoscopy. According to study author Neil Mehta, the prevalence of both adenomas and advanced adenomas on the third colonoscopy was significant.

The article focuses on the relation of bowel preparation with colonoscopy completion based on the findings of a study presented during the Digestive Disease Week in Washington, D.C. Lead investigator Berndt Birkner noted that some data have suggested a relatively high miss rates for carcinomas and lesions in the colon. The study revealed greater risk for incomplete colonoscopies among older patients. Birkner noted that poor preparation contributes to incomplete colonoscopy.

The article considers the use of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) as a biomarker for colorectal cancer. It discusses the relationship between ACF, adenomas, and colorectal cancer. It offers information on high-magnification chromoscopic colonoscopy (HMCC) and magnification colonoscopes. It identifies the main obstacle to the clinical use of HMCC in detecting ACF.

The article highlights a study published in the 2006 issue of "Gut" which showed that people with negative findings at a screening colonoscopy are at low risk of colon cancer. The results indicated that people with a previous negative colonoscopy had a 74% lower risk of colorectal cancer and might not need a repeat procedure for 20 years or more.