Sigmoidoscopy News and Research

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Sigmoidoscopy is the examination of the lower colon using a sigmoidoscope, inserted into the rectum. A sigmoidoscope 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. Also called proctosigmoidoscopy.

Men need colon cancer screening earlier than women: Study

A new study finds that men are at a higher risk of colon cancer than women and should get their first colonoscopy to screen for the disease at age 45, five years earlier than the current recommendation.

28 Sep 2011

Managed care plans can effectively reduce Medicare market costs

Medicare managed health care plans can be effective in reducing costs and encouraging appropriate care, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, Arizona State University, the University of California, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

20 Aug 2011

National survey finds women more likely to see doctor on regular basis than men

A national survey found that women were three times more likely to see a doctor on a regular basis than men. Even though men on average die younger than women and have higher mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, stroke and AIDS, trying to get a man to a doctor can be harder than pulling teeth. So, why do men hate it so?.

9 Jun 2011

Simple home-based colon cancer screening test can prevent many unnecessary deaths in Canada

Use of a simple, at-home screening test by Canadians can prevent many unnecessary colorectal cancer deaths, according to a special report about colorectal cancer in Canadian Cancer Statistics 2011 released today by the Canadian Cancer Society, in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada.

19 May 2011

Epigenomics presents Septin9 blood test study data in colorectal cancer at DDW 2011

Epigenomics AG, the cancer molecular diagnostics company, reports that Dr. Uri Ladabaum, Associate Professor in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the School of Medicine of Stanford University, has presented the results of a health economic analysis of potential future colorectal cancer screening with Septin9 blood tests at the ongoing Digestive Disease Week 2011.

9 May 2011

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

Despite expanded Medicare coverage racial disparities continue in colorectal cancer screening

Despite expanded Medicare coverage for colorectal cancer screening tests, lower rates still exist among blacks and Hispanics compared to other ethnic groups, according to research published in Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

6 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

Colonoscopy can serve as effective tool to reduce colorectal cancer death

In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month during March, GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has published a special issue for March on colonoscopy and colorectal cancer.

9 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

Tenofovir gel may help reduce risk of HIV from anal sex

A gel developed to protect against HIV during vaginal sex produced a strong antiviral effect when used in the rectum, according to an early-phase study presented today at the 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). The results, based on rectal tissue biopsies sampled from HIV-negative men and women who used the product daily for one week, provide the first-ever evidence that tenofovir gel could help reduce the risk of HIV from anal sex, even though the vaginal gel formulation may not be optimal for rectal use.

28 Feb 2011

Race, ethnicity and geography influence colon cancer screening

New research from UC Davis Cancer Center has found that whether a person gets screened for colon cancer often depends on where they live in addition to their race or ethnicity.

11 Jan 2011

Colorectal cancer screening disparities in certain regions

Individuals from certain areas of the United States are more likely to get screened for colorectal cancer than those from other areas, particularly when comparing non-whites living in different parts of the country. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Additional research is needed to better understand how colorectal cancer screening disparities develop in some regions and not in others.

10 Jan 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

Study highlights need to address overuse, underuse of colorectal cancer screening tests

Only one-fifth of primary care physicians in the US follow practice guidelines for colorectal cancer screening for all the tests they recommend, according to Dr. Robin Yabroff from the National Cancer Institute and her colleagues. About 40 percent followed guidelines for some of the tests they recommended and the remaining 40 percent did not follow guidelines for any of the screening tests they recommended.

15 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