Colonoscopy News and Research

RSS

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.

Zeria reports positive results from Japanese Phase III study of Z-338 for functional dyspepsia

Zeria Pharmaceutical announced today positive results of their Japanese Phase III study of Z-338 (acotiamide hydrochloride hydrate; "acotiamide") for the treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD). FD is a gastrointestinal disease comprised of subjective symptoms including postprandial fullness, early satiation and epigastric pain without any organic abnormality on gastrointestinal tract.

28 Jun 2010

Automated calls can increase colon cancer screening rates by 30%: Study

Simple, automated telephone reminders can increase colon cancer screening rates by 30 percent, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study funded by the National Cancer Institute that appears in the July print edition of Medical Care.

25 Jun 2010

Surveillance colonoscopy is effective when targeted to high-risk patients: Study

Surveillance colonoscopy is effective and cost-effective when targeted to high-risk patients, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute. However, overuse of surveillance colonoscopy could be excessively costly or even harmful.

22 Jun 2010

Norgine to develop and commercialize Tranzyme's ulimorelin ghrelin agonist

Tranzyme Pharma, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, and Norgine B.V., a European specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that they have entered into a licensing agreement that provides Norgine with the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Tranzyme's novel ghrelin agonist, ulimorelin (TZP-101), in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, South Africa and North Africa. Ulimorelin is entering Phase 3 development for the treatment of gastrointestinal dysmotility conditions in acute care settings.

16 Jun 2010

New study demonstrates link between smoking and flat adenomas

According to a new study, smoking was found to have a strong association with the presence of flat adenomas (precancerous polyps) in the colon and may explain the earlier onset of colorectal cancer in smokers, as well as the advanced stage with which they present when compared to nonsmokers. Flat adenomas are more difficult to detect and have more aggressive pathology than the typical raised type of polyp detected during colorectal cancer screening.

11 Jun 2010

Bowel cancer affecting more and more Australians

Bowel cancer or colon cancer was till now considered a disease that affected elderly men. Recent trends however show that it is affecting more and more Australians in a younger age group.

6 Jun 2010

CCAC applauds Quebec Ministry of Health's colorectal cancer screening pilot

The Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada (CCAC) applauds the decision of the Quebec Ministry of Health and its Minister Yves Bolduc to implement a colorectal cancer screening pilot in anticipation of launching a province wide colorectal cancer screening program.

2 Jun 2010

PET and CT colonography combination may provide suitable alternative for detecting polyps: Study

A study published in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that positron emission tomography -a molecular imaging technique-combined with computer tomography colonography may provide a suitable alternative for detecting polyps and cancer in the colon. This particular imaging method may be especially desirable for patients because it does not require sedation or bowel preparation.

2 Jun 2010

Bowel cancer to cost $1 billion by 2011 – more emphasis on screening programs needed

Findings from a new study show that more and more Australians are being diagnosed with bowel cancer and costs of treatment may well touch $1 billion next year a sharp rise from the $235 million in 2001. The study says that there are more than 13,500 Australians diagnosed with bowel cancer each year.

1 Jun 2010

Perrigo acquires rights to ANDA for HalfLytely and Bisacodyl Tablets Bowel Prep Kit

Perrigo Company today announced that it has acquired rights to Novel Laboratories' pending ANDA for HalfLytely and Bisacodyl Tablets Bowel Prep Kit (PEG-3350, sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and potassium chloride for oral solution and bisacodyl delayed-release tablets), indicated for the cleansing of the colon as a preparation for colonoscopy in adults.

26 May 2010

Routine cessation of clopidogrel in patients before colonoscopy polypectomy not necessary: Researchers

Researchers at the Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New York examined postpolypectomy bleeding in patients undergoing colonoscopy on uninterrupted clopidogrel and found that the postpolypectomy bleeding rate is significantly higher in patients undergoing polypectomy while taking clopidogrel and concomitant aspirin/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but that the risk is small and the outcome is favorable.

21 May 2010

Narrow-band imaging could be novel tool for in vivo assessment of mucosal angiogenesis

Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in neoplastic and non-neoplastic chronic inflammatory disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Several reports have shown that blockade of angiogenesis in preclinical models of IBD is a promising new therapeutic approach. Visualize angiogenesis in vivo may represent the first step for such a therapeutic approach. Narrow-band imaging (NBI) is a new endoscopic technology that highlights mucosal surface structures and microcapillaries.

21 May 2010

Colorectal cancer screening rates much lower among African Americans: Study

Among African Americans, colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death. With the proper screening, it has a 90 percent cure rate, yet screening rates are much lower among this group than other ethnic groups.

12 May 2010

Minimally invasive scopes to detect cancer

Just as cameras and televisions have been reinvented in the last decade with improved optics, sharpness and brightness, so have the tiny imaging scopes that physicians use to peer into the body's nooks and crannies -- its organs and digestive system.

7 May 2010

Colonoscopy preparation drugs administered same day as procedure equally effective: Researchers

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have found that colonoscopy preparation drugs administered the same day as the procedure are equally effective to those given the night before and the morning of the procedure, but result in less complaints of side effects such as abdominal pain, sleep loss and workday interference.

6 May 2010

Pay-for-performance may create unintended financial incentives for doctors to discriminate against obese patients

Pay-for-performance reimbursement models may create unintended financial incentives for doctors to discriminate against obese patients, measuring a patient's waist circumference may be more effective in predicting surgical outcomes than the more traditional body mass index measure, and childhood obesity doubles the risk of developing colon cancer, according to data being presented at Digestive Disease Week- 2010.

5 May 2010

Data shows rates of colorectal cancer screening vary by race, ethnicity and method

Rates of colorectal cancer screening vary by race and ethnicity as well as method, according to data being presented at Digestive Disease Week- 2010. Scientists examine data on minority and older populations as well as utilization rates of virtual and optical colonoscopies to better understand adherence to recommended screening guidelines.

5 May 2010

Shorter shifts for endoscopists positively influence polyp detection rates

A shorter daily shift schedule for endoscopists, the physicians who perform colonoscopies, avoids a decrease in the polyp detection rate as the day progresses, research from Mayo Clinic indicates. The findings, which have implications for endoscopist scheduling, were presented by Mayo Clinic investigators today at Digestive Disease Week 2010, (http://www.ddw.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=679) the annual meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association.

4 May 2010

Ethicon Endo-Surgery SEDASYS CAPS system receives European Union CE Mark, Health Canada approval

Ethicon Endo-Surgery today announced that the SEDASYS® System, the first computer-assisted personalized sedation (CAPS) system, was granted a CE Mark for the European Union for routine colonoscopy and screening of the upper gastrointestinal tract (EGD procedures), and Health Canada granted regulatory approval for the SEDASYS® System for use by healthcare professional teams during routine colonoscopy.

3 May 2010

Researchers find better way to prep patients for colonoscopy procedures

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital may have found a better way to prep patients for colonoscopy procedures so they no longer need to drink a gallon of prescribed fluids prior to the procedure.