Colonoscopy News and Research

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Colonoscopy is examination of the inside of the colon using a colonoscope, inserted into the rectum. A colonoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove tissue to be checked under a microscope for signs of disease.

People with rare mutations of gene MUTYH at increased risk of bowel cancer

CANCER RESEARCH UK funded scientists have found that people who carry rare mutations within both copies of a gene called MUTYH are 28 times more likely to develop bowel cancer compared to the general population, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

1 Oct 2009

MabCures develops monoclonal antibodies against Colorectal Cancer

MabCure, Inc., a biotechnology company that has developed a series of highly specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to combat various types of cancers, has reached another development milestone, with the creation of its MAbs against Colorectal Cancer (CRC). After further characterization the company plans to explore the utility of these MAbs in terms of both the early diagnosis of CRC (in blood or feces specimens), as well as imaging agents for detecting micrometastatic disease during surgery and the detection of cancerous polyps during colonoscopy.

29 Sep 2009

New report on seniors and health insurance reform released

Vice President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today hosted a town hall meeting with seniors in Silver Spring, Md., and released a new report, Health Insurance Reform and Medicare: Making Medicare Stronger for America’s Seniors.

24 Sep 2009

GI cancer detection simpler and cost-effective with new blood tests

Berlin, Germany: Promising results from two new blood tests that can aid in the early identification of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers will be presented at Europe's largest cancer congress, ECCO 15 - ESMO 34 [1], in Berlin today (Monday September 21). The tests will make GI cancer detection simpler, cost-effective, and more acceptable to patients than current methods, the researchers say.

21 Sep 2009

Study reveals that GI cancer can be diagnosed using blood tests

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21 Sep 2009

Phytel's Proactive Patient Outreach solution to be deployed at the Mankato Clinic

Phytel, the industry leader in automated, physician-led health improvement, announced today that the Mankato Clinic, one of the largest physician-owned multispecialty groups in Minnesota, has agreed to deploy its Proactive Patient Outreach solution. The nearly century-old Mankato Clinic, which includes 110 providers in nine locations, selected Phytel to help reduce its no-show rate and to increase the provision of needed services to its patients.

16 Sep 2009

Research study indicates presence of two stable bacterial ecosystems in the gut

Small-bowel transplant patients with an ileostomy -- an opening into their small bowel -- have a very different population of bacteria living in their gut than patients whose ileostomy has been closed, researchers from UC Davis and Georgetown University Medical Center have found. The results are published online Sept. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

16 Sep 2009

Gastroenterologists applaud President's call for screening tests coverage

Gastrointestinal specialists from the American College of Gastroenterology applaud President Obama's call to cover preventive screening tests, such as breast cancer exams and colonoscopy. In his health care speech to a joint session of Congress last night, the President argued that "there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense."

11 Sep 2009

Barrier-focused intervention program to increase colonoscopy attendance

In view of low attendance rate for colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer (CRC), it is necessary to establish effective intervention methods to increase colonoscopy compliance. Many studies have reported that subjective or objective barriers prevent high-risk subjects from undergoing colonoscopy examination, which indicates that barrier-focused intervention might be effective. However, such barrier-focused intervention has not been reported in China.

27 Aug 2009

Studies suggest that serrated polyps can be precursors of colon cancers

Serrated colorectal polyps include the subgroups hyperplastic polyps, sessile serrated polyps (also called sessile serrated adenomas), and serrated adenomas. Recent studies have found that serrated polyps share molecular features with a subgroup of colon cancers, leading to the hypothesis that serrated polyps can be precursors of cancer through a hyperplastic polyp to serrated adenoma to cancer sequence.

26 Aug 2009

Bowel cancer screening unacceptable to one in ten

At least one person in ten has a negative attitude to bowel cancer screening, particularly those from South Asian backgrounds, says research published in the British Journal of Cancer.

7 Jul 2009

Discovery of candidate tumor suppressor gene and potential biomarker for colorectal cancer

Researchers have identified a new candidate tumor suppressor gene in colorectal cancer and examined its use as a potential biomarker in stool samples, according to a new study published online June 17 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

17 Jun 2009

FSAs could end up on chopping block in hunt for health overhaul money

Around Christmas a few years ago, Princeton University economist Uwe Reinhardt was looking forward to a holiday dinner when his wife told him he shouldn't bother setting a place for himself. She had scheduled a colonoscopy for him for the next day.

13 Jun 2009

New optical colon cancer screening technique shows promise

Recent clinical trials show that a new colon cancer screening technique created by Northwestern University researchers has a high enough sensitivity that it could potentially be as or more successful than a colonoscopy in screening for colon cancer.

10 Jun 2009

Increase in incidence of colorectal cancer among young men and women in the U.S.

A new study finds that in sharp contrast to the overall declining rates of colorectal cancer in the United States, incidence rates among adults younger than age 50 years are increasing. The authors theorize that these increases may be related to rising rates of obesity and changes in dietary patterns, including increased consumption of fast food.

9 Jun 2009

Australian researchers advance bowel cancer detection

Australian researchers have developed gene expression biomarkers which can accurately discriminate pre-cancerous and cancerous colorectal growths from non-cancerous controls.

4 Jun 2009

Noninvasive screening test detects digestive cancers in multiple organs

Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated that a noninvasive screening test can detect not only colorectal cancer but also the common cancers above the colon -- including pancreas, stomach, biliary and esophageal cancers. This is one of more than 100 Mayo Clinic studies being presented at Digestive Disease Week 2009 in Chicago, May 30 - June 4.

2 Jun 2009

Obesity predicts inadequate bowel prep at colonoscopy

Obesity is an independent predictor of inadequate bowel preparation at colonoscopy, and the presence of additional risk factors further increases the likelihood of a poorly cleansed colon, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

1 Jun 2009

Medicare will not cover virtual colonoscopies, CMS Says

CMS on Tuesday announced a final decision to end Medicare coverage for virtual colonoscopies, also known as CT colonographies, the Wall Street Journal reports (Yoest, Wall Street Journal, 5/13).

13 May 2009

Urologists say don’t give up on prostate cancer screening just yet

What's a guy to do? While prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing has been the standard screening tool for prostate cancer for several decades, results of a study recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine question the effectiveness of PSA screening in reducing death from prostate cancer. But many urologists argue that men should not be swayed from getting the test-it still saves lives.

13 May 2009