People with a combination of three common medical conditions together known as metabolic syndrome have a greatly increased risk of colorectal cancer.  The three are hypertension, diabetes and elevated cholesterol.

Reviewing answers the the National Health Interview Survey, researchers found that people who reported metabolic syndrome conditions were almost twice as likely to have colorectal cancer.  Nearly 58,000 people were interviewed by the NHIS in 2002-2003.  Of those 1,200 had metabolic syndrome and 350 had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.  Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has updated their colorectal cancer screening recommendations.

Changes from the 2002 guidelines include recommendations not to routinely screen people over 75 and not to screen people over 85 at all. Decisions about screening between 76 and 85 need to be made in light of individual health, prior screening, and life expectancy.

The recommendations have dropped barium enema as a screening option. They do not include either CT colonography (CTC or so-called virtual colonoscopy) or DNA stool tests, saying that there was not enough current evidence to judge the harms and benefits of the new technology. Read the rest of this entry »

Screening people for colorectal cancer before they reach 65 and are eligible for Medicare could save millions of dollars of future Medicare costs according to a New York City study.

While Medicare covers the cost of screening colonoscopies, people need to be 65 to benefit.  Many uninsured adults from 50 to 64 have no way to get screened for colorectal cancer at all. Read the rest of this entry »

Current colorectal cancer screening guidelines call for testing average risk people when they reach their fiftieth birthday.  But is that soon enough?  Would earlier screening find more adenomatous polyps and prevent more colorectal cancer?

Scientists at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine reviewed nearly 3,600 autopsies performed at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1985 through 2004.  They compared the younger group from 20 to 49 to older  patients from 50 to 89. They looked at the adenomatous polyps found in each decade of life, as well as patient sex and race and the location of the polyps in the colon.

Fewer than 2 percent of the autopsied patients in their twenties had adenomas, rising to about 3.6 percent between ages 40 and 49.  However, the number of people with adenomas increased sharply after 50. Read the rest of this entry »

When physicians exam the rectum with a gloved finger, they are unlikely to find a real tumor and more likely to refer patients unnecessarily for further tests.  Digital rectal exams are a poor way to accurately identify rectal cancer according to a recently published study from the United Kingdom. Read the rest of this entry »