A new dawn for CT scans in colon screening?

Kirk, Rebecca

doi:10.1038/nrclinonc.2011.189

Research Highlight
Published: 29 November 2011

Gastrointestinal cancer

A new dawn for CT scans in colon screening?

Rebecca Kirk

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology volume 9, page 3 (2012)Cite this article

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It is well established that screening for colorectal cancer is of paramount importance in the race to detect a malignancy while there is time for effective treatment. What is less clear is whether novel techniques can be used to supplement or replace colonoscopy. Investigators have questioned this in a prospective study comparing colonoscopy with CT colonography in the general population. The study showed that each technique has its advantages and that both could be used to form part of an effective national cancer prevention strategy.

Colorectal cancer has a high incidence and the efficacy of therapy is dependent on when the cancer is detected. In the Netherlands, if a colorectal cancer is detected and treated at stage I there is a 5-year overall survival rate of 94%; if we compare this with the 8% overall survival rate for a cancer that presents as stage IV disease then the importance of early detection becomes immediately apparent.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

Stoop, E. M. et al. Participation and yield of colonoscopy versus non-cathartic CT colonography in population-based screening for colorectal cancer: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Oncol. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(11)70283-2

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