Simpler colon screen may be enough for women

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Simpler colon screen may be enough for women

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Research suggests that African Americans are at higher risk of polyps and cancer.

22 October,2012 01:01 pm

Women younger than 70 have a relatively low risk of abnormal growth in the upper part of the colon - suggesting, U.S. researchers say, that many women can opt for less invasive colon cancer screening.Most experts recommend that people at average risk of colon cancer start having screening tests at age 50, with three options: a yearly stool test that looks for hidden blood, a test called a sigmoidoscopy every five years and stool testing every three years, or a colonoscopy every ten years. But the reality is, though, that colonoscopies - the most invasive, extensive and expensive of the tests - has become the screening method of choice in the United States.But it shouldnt be one strategy for everyone, said Thomas Imperiale, a gastroenterologist at Indiana University, who led the study that appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, noting that the idea of colonoscopies keep some people from getting any screening.According to Imperiale, the findings suggest that for women under 70, sigmoidoscopy - which uses a long flexible tube equipped with a tiny video camera to see the interior of the colon -could be adequate as an initial colon cancer screening.Unlike a colonoscopy, a sigmoidoscopy looks only at the rectum and lower portion of the colon. So it can be done relatively quickly, without sedation, and with a lower risk of perforating the colon. All were saying is, with people at average risk of colon cancer, there are some groups who may not need a colonscopy, Imperiale said.Durado Brooks, director of prostate and colorectal cancers for the American Cancer Society, said that the findings are in step with whats already known. The risk of colon polyps and tumors goes up with age, and at any age, women are at lower risk than men.Brooks and Imperiale both said it makes sense to move toward customized recommendations on colon cancer screening for people at average risk, but that more research is needed first.Research suggests that African Americans are at higher risk of polyps and cancer, so Brooks said its possible that relatively younger black women would have a higher risk. Imperiale noted that theres also evidence that obesity and diabetes are risk factors, agreeing that more work is needed before recommendations can be refined.