New Research on Novel Screening Techniques

Latest CRC headline: Colon X-ray seen as effective at spotting cancer.

While I'm 98% sure that this is the same type of study that I had foolishly volunteered for, I don't know if my results were grouped in with the general data.

So, apparently the upside of the CTVP is that it's cheaper (costing hundreds rather than thousands of dollars), faster, easier (no conscious sedation necessary), and 90% accurate as compared to the traditional colonoscopy.

The downside is that it has a higher incidence of false positives, you still have to do the gruesome bowel prep, and--worst of all--the CTVP is "not as good at colonoscopy at detecting flat growths on the colon wall that are more likely to be cancerous than the more familiar knobby polyps."

All that said, it sounds like we might as well stick with the colonoscopy, just so long as you've got insurance. And I really think that insurance companies and the medical profession in general should look at shifting their screening paradigm, providing coverage for screenings as early as 40 without a family history (at any age with one).

And that whole "the worst thing about a colonoscopy is the prep" adage? Is true in any case where the doc and nurse don't pull you into a private room once you come out of sedation. And don't we want to head that conversation off at the pass as much as possible?