Posted on 10/10/2022 8:01:38 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
On October 10, the world's first randomized study on using colonoscopy-screening to prevent colorectal cancer was presented.
"Colonoscopy unfortunately is not a miracle cure for colorectal cancer. According to our study, it probably is not better than the fecal samples," says Michael Bretthauer.
Previously, experts have assumed that the effect of using colonoscopy to detect colorectal cancer is higher than using fecal samples. Researchers have assumed that up to 9 out of 10 colorectal cancer cases can be prevented using colonoscopy. With fecal samples the same is assumed to be 2–3 out of 10 cases.
In the study 1.2% of the people who were not randomized for colonoscopy-screening got colorectal cancer after 10 years, compared to 0.98% in the group who was offered screening.
"This means that new cases of colorectal cancer were reduced by 18% among the participants who were offered colonoscopy-screening," Bretthauer says.
The researchers followed 95,000 participants from four European countries over more than 10 years
Only 3 out of 1,000 died from the disease during the 10 years the researchers followed the participants, regardless of if they were offered screening or not. There was no significant decrease in the mortality rate for the screening group.
"We are happy to see that the mortality rate is generally low in the study. The numbers are lower than expected when we started the study," Bretthauer says.
The main reason for the low mortality rates is that the treatment options for colorectal cancer have become noticeably better the past 10 years. This makes colonoscopy-screening less effective to prevent patients from dying from colorectal cancer.
"This can mean that introducing screening with colonoscopy as a part of the colorectal cancer screening program in Norway can be less effective than previously assumed," Bretthauer says.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
In other words, the crap into a jar test kit.
Eat more fiber, yogurt, and mushrooms....
I have lost family friends to colonoscopies that have injured and killed them.
I did my own math from the limited data, and concluded that if there is no family history of colon cancer, the risk of a complication (such as puncture) from a colonoscopy roughly equals the likelihood that something serious will be found (at best).
So no thanks, at least for me. Others can do their own calculations.
Not the greatest study. It includes in the Colonoscopy leg ALL those who said they would have colonoscopies whether they had them or not. And there were a large number of “yes” responders who decided to NOT get one. Plus the study has many years left to follow up on.
My son was diagnosed with cancerous polyps in 2019 at the age of 49. His surgeon told him the polyps were so big, that he wished he had come to see him 10 years earlier, but they don’t usually screen people for colon cancer at the age of 39. Had he been screened all those years earlier, he may never have gotten cancer.
What I’ve observed is that even those who are at high risk, who know they are at high risk, who do colonoscopies earlier and more regularly than others, once it is detected they still die. Tony Snow. Katie Couric’s first husband. Early detection doesn’t really help...it still gets you.
I agree. The study seems to be illogical. Almost all hmo insurance mandates this test and I cannot believe they would do so unless it clearly saved money thru prevention and early detection.
Another point is their claim it is the first study to determine effectiveness. The tests are at least 30 years old and this is the first study?
Call me a skeptic. This doesn’t pass the smell test.
With respect to colonoscopies, the article covered risks associated with puncture of the bowel, infection, and missing a tumor as having roughly the same mortality rate as colon cancer itself.
There is a chiropractor out in California, John Bergman, who cited a study that said the odds of having a serious complication from a colonoscopy is about 1 in 1000. And that was about the same odds of being helped by the colonoscopy.
He suggested getting the fecal test and only if you got a positive then get the colonoscopy.
Don’t know whether his stats are true or if the advice is good.
I opted for the Cologuard test. It’s supposed to be better than the simple blood in feces test. The cells from precancerous lesions tend to slough off and Cologuard checks for that.
My father had benign colon polyps removed twice. He died of lung cancer...smoker. My youngest son, a smoker, was diagnosed with cancerous polyps in 2019 at the age of 49. Had two re-sections, removal of over 70 lymph nodes, and 6 months of chemo. Two other members of my family died of lung cancer..smokers too. Oldest sister a smoker, died of a stroke at 74. My only brother, a smoker, died of a massive heart attack at 51. No history of colon cancer though.
I never smoked. Have been getting colonoscopies since I was 50. Was previously diagnosed with diverticulitis, and in 2010, despite following my diet religiously, my bowel perforated, and I ended up with a colostomy for three months, after which it was reversed. Last year, my gastroenterologist found a benign small polyp during the colonoscopy. I turned 75 this year, and consider myself lucky to have lived longer than anyone else in my immediate family, but I have my own health issues, most of which no one else in my family was ever diagnosed with.
I hope he is doing better.
I’m high risk, they took out a pre-cancerous polyp a couple years ago. They keep a close eye on me. So far, so good.
Thanks. So far, so good. Still has to have scans done on a regular basis. The chemo gave him bad neuropathy in his hands and feet. It eventually went away in his hands, but it is permanent in his feet, and because they had to do two large re-sections, he has to use the bathroom several times each day...no matter what he eats.
The detail you aren’t including is that the death rate has improved so much from current treatment options that finding your cancer from a colonoscopy is not as life-saving as before. It is still helpful and prevents colon cancer.
This is the first time I’ve heard anything about colonoscopy being risky! :(
I have a relative who’s constantly suffering from IBS and diverticulitis, he’s had multiple colonoscopies and talks about gut issues frequently. If he thought there was a chance of puncture he would freak out. (BTW, after the covid vax and boosters he got blood clots in the gut but they found no cancer.)
See Post #18
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