A 10-year clinical trial found that colonoscopies reduce colon cancer risk by only a fifth and did not significantly lower the chances of death. The results call into question the increased use of the procedure for screening purposes.
CNN: A Colonoscopy Study Has Some Wondering If They Should Have The Procedure. What You Should Know A new European study on colonoscopies – the largest of its kind – has complicated results, and it’s left some people wondering whether they should have the procedure to screen for colon cancer. (Cohen, 10/10)Stat: In Gold-Standard Trial, Colonoscopy Fails To Cut Rate Of Cancer Deaths For decades, gastroenterologists put colonoscopies on a pedestal. If everyone would get the screening just once a decade, clinicians believed it could practically make colorectal cancer “extinct,” said Michael Bretthauer, a gastroenterologist and researcher in Norway. But new results from a clinical trial that he led throw confidence in colonoscopy’s dominance into doubt. (Chen, 10/9)Bloomberg: Colonoscopy Screening Exams Fail To Prevent Cancer Deaths In Large Study Colonoscopy screening exams that are recommended for older US adults failed to reduce the risk of death from colon cancer in a 10-year study that questions the benefits of the common procedure. (John Milton, 10/9)NBC News: Video: Colonoscopies Made No Difference In Death Rates, European Study Finds In one of the largest studies ever, researchers found colonoscopy screenings cut cancer risk by 18 percent and made no difference in death rates. (10/10)VIDEO This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription .
