Virtual colonoscopy may Help Prevent Cancer
Reported October 25, 2005
By Marsha Hitchcock, Ivanhoe Executive Producer/Consumer News
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — The world’s largest virtual colonoscopy trial is underway nationwide. The trial compares a traditional colonoscopy to that of a virtual colonoscopy. The tests could result in a faster, cheaper, risk-free detection of colon cancer and polyps.
About 147,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year. It’s the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. As most cancer develops from colon polyps, detection and removal of these polyps can prevent colon cancer. In fact, when colorectal cancer is found early, the survival rate is 90 percent. But despite the facts, Richard Obregon, M.D., of Radiologist Imaging Associates, in Denver, says the majority of Americans over 50 are not being screened for the disease.
According to Dr. Obregon, today, colonoscopy is one of the standard screening exams to check for colorectal cancer. The goal of the National CT Colonography trial is to discover whether computed tomography (CT) colongraphy or Virtual colonoscopy, is as effective as contentional colonoscopy in detecting polyps and cancer. The Virtual colonoscopy is a new tool employing cutting edge technology to produce 3-D, fly through images that permit a thorough and minimally invasive evaluation of the entire colorectal structure. Dr. Obregon tells Ivanhoe, “This new colonoscopy can’t just detect cancer but is a less invasive way to find possible cancerous polyps.” He says it could help to prevent 80 percent to 90 percent of colon cancer deaths.
The American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) is coordinating the largest multi-center study to compare the effectiveness of state-of-the-art CT Colonography (Virtual colonoscopy) to conventional colonoscopy. Both the virtual colonoscopy and conventional colonscopy let doctors see inside the colon and rectum. The Virtual colonoscopy lets the doctor see other organs too. But the conventional colonoscopy involves inserting a long tube into the body. The virtual colonoscopy uses X-rays to create images of the color. Only air enters the colon. The doctor will remove polyps or a tissue sample during a colonoscopy. This cannot be done during virtual colonoscopy. Conventional colonoscopy usually requires sedation. The virtual counterpart does not. It is also less expensive than conventional colonoscopy. Dr. Obregon says the virtual colonoscopy takes about 10 minutes, and the patient can return to normal activities immediately. While after the conventional colonoscopy, the patient must recover for the rest of the day.