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.

Mayo Clinic cancer experts find gaps in current colorectal cancer screening approaches

Colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death for men and women combined in the U.S. The goal of screening is to reduce the number of people who die from this common cancer. According to Mayo Clinic cancer experts there are gaps in current screening approaches in terms of detection accuracy, patient willingness to use them, and accessibility.

30 Oct 2015

Study shows vitamin D, calcium supplements fail to protect against colorectal cancer

A large, randomized study at 11 U.S. hospitals including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center found that vitamin D and calcium supplements fail to protect against developing colorectal cancer.

16 Oct 2015

Sequenom signs clinical collaboration with University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Sequenom, Inc., a life sciences company committed to enabling healthier lives through the development of innovative products and services, today announced that it has entered into a clinical collaboration with University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) in Germany.

12 Oct 2015

New capsule form of FMT raises hopes for treating C. difficile infection

A new capsule form of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has raised hopes that this effective treatment for Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection and other bowel conditions might soon become mainstream. A recently-reported study confirmed that capsules containing a frozen suspension of faecal material harvested from healthy unrelated donors was well tolerated and effectively resolved diarrhoea in 90% of patients with difficult-to-treat C. difficile infection.

7 Oct 2015

Mercy open new Endoscopy Suite to promote and practice gastrointestinal health

Mercy Medical Center has announced the opening of a new, state-of-the-art Endoscopy Suite to promote and practice gastrointestinal health. The unique, high-tech suite is located on the 2nd floor of Mercy's Mary Catherine Bunting Center at 345 St. Paul Place. Bunting Endoscopy will be under the direction of Dr. Paul J. Thuluvath, Medical Director of The Melissa L. Posner Institute for Digestive Health & Liver Disease at Mercy.

6 Oct 2015

Using integrated molecular pathology to manage incidental pancreatic cysts: an interview with Dr Ananya Das

Pancreatic cystic neoplasms, or PCNs, are a subset of all pancreatic cysts that are found on the pancreas. PCNs are neoplastic cysts that span a biological spectrum from benign to malignant.

15 Sep 2015

Patient position helps increase effectiveness of colonoscopy for CRC screening

Having patients lie on their left side while the right side of their colon is being examined can result in more polyps being found, thus increasing the effectiveness of colonoscopy for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, according to a study in the September issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).

14 Sep 2015

Tadpole Endoscope improves diagnostic procedures for various cancers

Engineers have developed a new medical device aimed at improving diagnostic procedures for various cancers: the Tadpole Endoscope (TE).

14 Sep 2015

New risk assessment scoring system may help physicians select screening tests for colorectal cancer

Researchers at the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine have developed a new risk assessment scoring system that could help physicians judge which patients can forgo invasive colonoscopy testing for cancer screening and which should receive the test.

11 Sep 2015

Penns' Abramson Cancer Center rated as 'exceptional' by NCI

The University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) has received an "exceptional" rating by the National Cancer Institute during an extensive peer-review process for its five-year competitive research support grant. The rating is the highest possible for an NCI cancer center.

9 Sep 2015

Longer-lasting colonoscopies associated with lower cancer rates

If a colonoscopy seems like the type of thing you'd like to get done with quickly, think again. Research by a Veterans Affairs team has confirmed that longer-lasting colonoscopies are associated with lower cancer rates.

26 Aug 2015

Researchers find way to screen blood samples to detect presence of precancerous polyps in the colon

Canadian researchers have found a way to screen blood samples for molecular traces that indicate the presence of precancerous polyps in the colon, a key warning sign for colon cancer. Their results, published this week in the journal Biomedical Optics Express, from The Optical Society, may yield a cheaper and less invasive initial screening test for colon cancer that could complement colonoscopy, though further clinical trials will need to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the blood test before it is routinely used.

25 Aug 2015

IU scientists find evidence that invisible war between microorganisms may affect human health

Health experts have warned for years that the overuse of antibiotics is creating "superbugs" able to resist drugs treating infection.

31 Jul 2015

New endoscopic probe could facilitate more effective, less painful imaging of internal tissues

Colonoscopy is a safe and effective medical procedure that's proven to saves lives. Used for routine cancer screening, it can help identify colon tumors in their early stages. In addition, it is a key non-surgical imaging technique that allows doctors to spot ulcers, polyps or bleeding inside the large intestines of their patients safely, avoiding complications that an exploratory surgery might induce.

30 Jul 2015

Groundbreaking experimental therapy has ability to suppress ulcerative colitis

UCLA scientists have discovered a groundbreaking experimental therapy that has the ability to suppress the development of ulcerative colitis (UC), a disease which causes inflammation in the digestive tract and colon cancer. The treatment utilizes a chemical inhibitor able to block an RNA molecule (microRNA-214) involved in the transmission of genetic information.

24 Jul 2015

Older people who screen positive for dementia refuse subsequent evaluation, study finds

Two thirds of individuals 65 and older who screened positive for cognitive impairment refused subsequent evaluation according to the first study of its kind to examine older adults' willingness to undergo diagnostic assessment. The Indiana University Center for Aging Research, Regenstrief Institute and Eskenazi Health study of approximately 500 older adults found that individuals living alone were the least likely to agree to diagnostic assessment following a positive screening test for dementia.

17 Jul 2015

Colorectal cancer patients diagnosed during screening colonoscopy survive longer

Patients whose colorectal cancer (CRC) is detected during a screening colonoscopy are likely to survive longer than those who wait until they have symptoms before having the test, according to a study in the July issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

14 Jul 2015

Patient sues doctors for defamation, medical malpractice

On June 23, 2015 the Washington Post ran a story titled Anesthesiologist trashes sedated patient — and it ends up costing her. While preparing for a colonoscopy, a patient hit "record" on his smartphone to make sure he heard the instructions his doctor would give him after the procedure.

10 Jul 2015

IBI scientists make progress in identifying new biomarkers for preventing colorectal cancer

Scientists from the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica [Institute of Biomedical Research], in Galicia (Spain), have made progress in the identification of new biomarkers for improving prevention of colorectal cancer.

1 Jul 2015

Higher adenoma detection rates linked to lower lifetime colorectal cancer incidence and death

An analysis that included information from more than 57,000 screening colonoscopies suggests that higher adenoma detection rates may be associated with up to 50 percent to 60 percent lower lifetime colorectal cancer incidence and death without higher overall costs, despite a higher number of colonoscopies and potential complications, according to a study in the June 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Jun 2015