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.

After polyps are detected, patients may no longer qualify for free colonoscopies

Insurance coverage of colonoscopies to screen for colorectal cancer is a frequent source of frustration for consumers, including a reader who asks about his situation.

30 Jan 2018

Colonoscopy linked to increased risk of appendicitis

Although the incidence of appendicitis in the United States has been in decline for many years, the condition still affects approximately seven percent of Americans annually.

27 Jan 2018

Scientists to examine accuracy of new FIT tests for colon cancer detection

No one wants a colonoscopy. But there's no getting around the lifesaving procedure -- the gold standard for colon cancer detection.

23 Jan 2018

Researchers develop single blood test that screens for 8 cancer types

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers developed a single blood test that screens for eight common cancer types and helps identify the location of the cancer.

19 Jan 2018

Study provides more evidence for link between increased cancer risk and advanced gum disease

Data collected during a long-term health study provides additional evidence for a link between increased risk of cancer in individuals with advanced gum disease, according to a new collaborative study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and Tufts University School of Medicine and Cancer Center.

19 Jan 2018

Doing more harm than good? Epidemic of screening burdens nation’s older patients

Elena Altemus is 89 and has dementia. She often forgets her children's names, and sometimes can't recall whether she lives in Maryland or Italy.

20 Dec 2017

Blood test using infrared spectroscopy can help detect two cancer types

A blood test using infrared spectroscopy can be used to diagnose two types of cancer, lymphoma and melanoma, according to a study led by Georgia State University.

12 Dec 2017

Capsule research could transform treatment for C. difficile infections

An Alberta-led clinical trial has shown Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) is as effective in treating clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections whether delivered by colonoscopy or by swallowing capsules.

28 Nov 2017

Penn researchers single out bacterial enzyme behind gut microbiome imbalance linked to Crohn’s disease

Penn Medicine researchers have singled out a bacterial enzyme behind an imbalance in the gut microbiome linked to Crohn's disease.

16 Nov 2017

Artificial intelligence to support cancer detection, study says

A novel artificial intelligence powered endoscopic system developed in Japan has been proved to automatically detect colorectal adenomas at the time of colonoscopy.

30 Oct 2017

Combination of serrated polyps and high-risk adenomas may increase odds for colorectal cancer

Most colorectal cancer develops from precursors known as polyps, the most common and well researched of which are conventional adenomas. Conventional adenomas often progress to colorectal cancer through an intermediate step called high-risk adenomas.

11 Oct 2017

Benefits of Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Biomarkers fall into different categories: diagnostic biomarkers, are used to identify a disease; prognostic biomarkers, help clinicians to determine, for example, whether you're more likely to die or have problems with a disease; and there are some that can be used to inform treatment, to determine whether one therapy would be more successful than another.

2 Oct 2017

Experts call for greater focus on effective screening methods to help save lives from digestive cancers

Experts from United European Gastroenterology (UEG), presenting at the European Digestive Cancer Days Conference in Prague today, are calling on European governments to focus their efforts on developing early diagnosis techniques, in order to save thousands of lives from digestive cancers including a more targeted approach to ensure at risk patients don’t ‘slip through the early-detection net’.

28 Sep 2017

Follow-up letters, FIT tests can help improve colon cancer screening completion

Sending a letter and, in some cases, a simple mail-in kit tripled colon cancer screening completion among low-income adults, researchers at UT Southwestern's Simmons Cancer Center report this week in JAMA.

8 Sep 2017

Combined DNA and protein 'liquid biopsy' more accurate in identifying early-stage pancreatic cancer

Johns Hopkins scientists say they have developed a blood test that spots tumor-specific DNA and protein biomarkers for early-stage pancreatic cancer.

4 Sep 2017

Blood test using infrared spectroscopy could provide cheaper, quicker alternative for colitis screening

A fast, simple blood test for ulcerative colitis using infrared spectroscopy could provide a cheaper, less invasive alternative for screening compared to colonoscopy, which is now the predominant test, according to a study between the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

23 Aug 2017

Colon cancer rates rising among younger white adults — and falling among blacks

When Crawford Clay discovered blood on his shorts at the end a routine run in the spring of 2014, he did not know the stains were a symptom of a condition that also afflicted his family.

8 Aug 2017

Studies show how endoscopic procedures can improve outcomes and care

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, features a study reporting that a simpler procedure for collecting biopsy specimens during various procedures can improve patient care, and a study showing how a relatively new procedure, POEM, has been adapted to help an additional set of patients with gastroparesis, a troubling stomach problem.

3 Aug 2017

Genetic test to predict IBD severity in children

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract with abdominal pain and diarrhea being the most common symptoms. It can be challenging to diagnose as gastrointestinal complaints mimicking IBD are common.

26 Jul 2017

Patient navigator programs at barbershops could improve colorectal cancer screening among black men

Aging black men are at much greater risk of dying prematurely of colorectal cancer than any other group in the United States, and are less likely than their white counterparts to be diagnosed at an early stage of the disease.

25 Jul 2017