Bowel cancer screening cuts cases 80 percent
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Screening for bowel cancer with colonoscopy could reduce cases of the disease by 80 percent in people with a high risk of the illness, researchers said in a study on Tuesday.
It would allow doctors to detect pre-cancerous growths, which could be removed before they developed into cancer.
“We now know that screening with colonoscopy prevents the majority of bowel cancers in people with a family history,” said Professor Peter Sasieni, of the charity Cancer Research UK, in a statement.
“The study shows that screening isn’t necessary before the age of 45 and, even then, it only needs to be performed every five years or so.”
The findings are reported online by the British Medical Journal.
Sasieni and his colleagues studied 1,678 people with a family history of bowel cancer to determine the effectiveness of screening with a colonoscope, a long tube that allows doctors to view the inside of the bowel.
The results showed an 80 percent decrease in tumours due to screening, according to the researchers.
People with a family history of bowel cancer have an increased risk of developing bowel cancer. A small proportion may also have a genetic mutation linked to a condition called hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC).
Each person in the study had at least one close relative who had been diagnosed with bowel cancer. All the volunteers were screened regularly and their health was monitored for 16 years.
The scientists said people with HNPCC should have regular screening at short intervals. But individuals who are less at risk may not need to be screened until they are 45 years old and at 5-year intervals afterwards.
Bowel cancer kills nearly half a million people worldwide each year. In developed countries it is the second most common cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Most cases occur sporadically but about 5 percent of patients have a family history of the disease.
“If you pick up the disease early it is a relatively easy medical/surgical task to cure these patients,” said Professor John Toy, medical director of Cancer Research UK.
A significant number of people can be prevented, relatively easily and cheaply, from developing a life-threatening cancer, he added.
Loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation and bleeding can be symptoms of bowel cancer. Research has shown that eating a diet low in fibre and high in animal fat and protein may also increase the risk of the illness.
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