Flexible Sigmoidoscopy News and Research

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Flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) is a medical technique that allows for the visualization of the lining of the gut, specifically the rectum and a part of the colon (up to approximately 60 cm). It is carried out using a sigmoidoscope, a flexible tube approximately the width of a thumb.

Combining fecal immunological test and colonoscopy may improve detection of colorectal cancer

A strategy that combines two effective colorectal cancer screening methods, fecal immunological test and colonoscopy, may improve prevention and detection of colorectal cancer and reduce costs, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

28 Aug 2013

Electronic health records increase colorectal cancer screening rates

Researchers used electronic health records to identify Group Health patients who weren't screened regularly for cancer of the colon and rectum-and to encourage them to be screened. This centralized, automated approach doubled these patients' rates of on-time screening-and saved health costs-over two years.

4 Mar 2013

Antioxidants and pancreatic cancer risk: an interview with Dr Andrew Hart

The antioxidants that we mainly looked at were selenium, vitamin C and vitamin E. They are chemicals which inactivate pro-oxidants or free radicals. Smoking and normal metabolism can lead to the production of free radicals.

30 Jul 2012

Flexible sigmoidoscopy reduces deaths due to colorectal cancer

Research conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as part of a national study reveals that flexible sigmoidoscopy — a screening test for colorectal cancer that is less invasive and has fewer side-effects than colonoscopy — reduces deaths due to colorectal cancer.

23 May 2012

Colonic tissue may help predict Parkinson's disease

Two studies by neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center suggest that, in the future, colonic tissue obtained during either colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy may be used to predict who will develop Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder of aging that that leads to progressive deterioration of motor function due to loss of neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential to executing movement.

16 May 2012

Colon cancer screening guidelines released

According to a new guidance statement from the American College of Physicians all adults should get screened for colon cancer once they get older to reduce their risk of dying from the nation's number two cancer killer.

7 Mar 2012

AGA's cutting-edge research on GI disorders to be presented at DDW 2011

Clinicians, researchers and scientists from around the world will gather for Digestive Disease Week- 2011, the largest and most prestigious gastroenterology meeting, from May 7-10, 2011, at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

7 May 2011

Cancer screening updates

Everyone in England aged 55 to 59 will be invited for a new test which could dramatically cut their chances of developing bowel cancer. This new test could save an extra 3,000 lives every year after the UK National Screening Committee gave the nod for it to be added to the NHS programme. The test known as Flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) differs to the current faecal occult blood (FOB) test, which relies on people sending off stool samples.

7 Apr 2011

Colorectal cancer screening vital for prevention and early detection

We're all familiar with messages like this one – "men and women aged 50 and older should have regular colorectal cancer screening tests." We read this message in our community newspapers and hear it on television and radio. Why is there so much media attention on colorectal cancer screening? Well, here's a message you might not have seen: over the last decade, in part due to increased screening, rates of new cases and deaths from colorectal cancer have been on the decline.

1 Apr 2011

Quest Diagnostics ColoVantage molecular colorectal cancer detection test receives New York State approval

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading cancer diagnostics company, today announced that its ColoVantage test has been approved by New York State's Department of Health for testing on samples of patients in the state. It is believed to be the first molecular colorectal cancer detection method that employs a venal blood specimen to be approved by the state.

From Quest Diagnostics 18 Mar 2011

Majority of U.S. adults age 50 and over fail to take colon cancer screening

Despite the fact that colon cancer screening saves lives, the majority of U.S. adults age 50 and over who are eligible for such screening fail to take advantage of it. Consider the numbers: In 2000, only 16.3 million of 80 million eligible adults received colon cancer screening such as the fecal occult blood test, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.

2 Mar 2011

Cancers detected late leading to unnecessary deaths: Report

A new report released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that in spite of the widely available screening tests many cancers are not diagnosed until the disease is well-advanced and, therefore, less treatable and more fatal. The report says that half of colorectal cancers and cervical cancers and one-third of breast cancers in the United States are detected at a late stage.

24 Nov 2010

Screening colonoscopy rates for women do not increase when offered to be done by female endoscopists: Study

A new study from researchers in Colorado shows that women offered a female endoscopist were not more likely to undergo a screening colonoscopy than those who were not offered this choice. Past surveys have shown preferences for female endoscopists seem to be common among women. In this study, a patient outreach program failed to support the notion that rates of screening colonoscopy can be increased by offering women the option of a screening colonoscopy performed by a female endoscopist.

12 Nov 2010

Health care reform will lead more people to seek cancer prevention and risk-reduction services

More people will likely seek cancer prevention and risk-reduction services as a result of health care reform, say experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

19 Oct 2010

Combined technologies offer promise for detecting colon cancer in women

A team led by a Northwestern University biomedical engineer has found that combining novel optical technologies with a common colon cancer screening test may allow doctors to more accurately detect the presence of colon cancer, particularly in women.

20 Jul 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

PurGenesis announces positive results from Phase I clinical trial of PUR0110 for ulcerative colitis

PurGenesis Technologies Inc. announced today positive results from a Phase I clinical trial on PUR0110, the Company's lead investigational new drug for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. This successful trial was designed to evaluate the safety and maximum tolerated dose of PUR0110.

6 May 2010

Five-minute screening test could cut risk of developing bowel cancer: Research

A five-minute screening test could cut the risk of developing bowel cancer by a third and save thousands of lives from what is the UK's second biggest cancer killer, according to new research led by Imperial College London, published today in the Lancet.

28 Apr 2010

'Flexi-Scope' test reduces incidence of bowel cancer

A one-off screening test that takes just five minutes could reduce the risk of bowel cancer by one-third and save thousands of lives, UK scientists have said.

28 Apr 2010

Current screening methods for FOBT are often not appropriate

More than 75 percent of primary care physicians in the United States who order or perform the fecal occult blood test as a screening option for colorectal cancer perform an in-office test rather than relying on the home-based test, even though the home-based test is more accurate, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found.

16 Apr 2010