Regular colonoscopies are one of the most important tools in the fight against colon cancer. They have been credited for helping to increase the rate of early colon cancer diagnosis, thereby lowering the rate of death from this disease. So, if virtual colonoscopies are just as accurate as the standard procedure, it may just convince the estimated 60 percent of American adults over 50 who are not going for regular colonoscopies to get screened.
“Our goal is not to take patients away from existing strategies like optical colonoscopy, but rather to attract those who are currently not being screened at all,” said Dr. Perry J. Pickhardt, lead author of the study from the University of Wisconsin Medical School.
For the study, published in Radiology, Pickhardt and his colleagues performed virtual colonoscopies on over 1,100 men and women at an average age of 58. In about 6 percent of the participants, a standard colonoscopy was performed after the virtual one because the doctors found a questionable polyp, or growth, on the colon that could signal cancer. In 65 of these 71 patients, the regular colonoscopy confirmed the findings from the virtual procedure.
“Both virtual colonoscopy and optical colonoscopy are excellent screening tests,” said Pickhardt, who added that the advantages of virtual colonoscopies make it a good alternative for those squeamish of the standard procedure. “It is safer, faster, less costly, more convenient, involves an easier bowel prep and yet is just as effective for detecting important polyps and cancers,” he said.
Pickhardt hopes that more insurance companies choose to cover this procedure, and that the public becomes more informed about the potential importance of virtual colonoscopies.
“Since colorectal cancer is uniquely preventable, widespread colonoscopy screening could lead to a significant reduction in mortality from this deadly disease,” said Pickhardt.
