American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Otis W. Brawley, M.D., says that he is disappointed in the decision by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services not to cover CT colonography screening for elderly Americans on Medicare.
Dr. Brawley points out that randomized clinical trials have shown the CTC option as effective as traditional optical colonoscopy in finding early cancers and precancerous polyps. He also concerned that there is not a sufficient supply of trained specialists providing colonoscopy to meet the need for screening and that new options are needed.
The American Cancer Society believes, Brawley says, that a full battery of testing for colorectal cancer screening should be available, particularly to the Medicare population who are at higher risk of developing and dying from colorectal cancer. Read the rest of this entry »
