Colon News Archives:

New Technology Helps Colon Cancer Detection: Canadian doctors think they've found a way to detect the earliest signs of colon cancer. Normal searches for the signs of colon cancer involve a colonoscopy -- sending a camera up a person's colon to look for polyps -- the first signs of cancer. But using a special blue light, researchers have found even the smallest potential tumors reflect a different color: They turn an angry red -- literally a red flag. A pilot test found the new technique improved diagnostic accuracy and found more than 18 per cent more polyps than did standard colonoscopies. CTV.ca News Staff   Does Calcium Help Fight Colon Cancer? WEDNESDAY, July 20 (HealthDayNews) -- Calcium supplements may help prevent the development of polyps that can lead to colorectal cancer, but there's no evidence calcium actually prevents the malignancy itself, researchers say. Minimally-Invasive Colon Surgery An Excellent Approach: MONDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- According to researchers, this approach to colorectal surgery using the laparoscope could reduce post-surgery complications. Compared to traditional (open) surgery, the Laparoscopic procedure causes less inflammation and places less stress on the immune system, according to a study in the July issue of Archives of Surgery. Colonoscopy Versus Virtual Colonoscopy: A study published in April 2004 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) compared results of standard colonoscopy versus virtual colonoscopy in over 600 patients at nine major medical centers. Virtual colonoscopy had much lower rates of successfully finding polyps than standard colonoscopy. Virtual colonoscopy detected polyps of at least 6 mm in 39% of patients and polyps of at least 10 mm in 55% of patients. By contrast, standard colonoscopy detected 99% of polyps of at least 6 mm, and 100% of polyps of at least 10 mm. In addition, accuracy rates varied widely among the different hospitals. The authors advised that until more improvement in training and technique is achieved, virtual colonoscopy "is not yet ready for widespread clinical application." Obesity Increases the Risk of Getting Colorectal Cancer in Women:The study of 1,050 women and 1,250 men found that women with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more (considered obese) were 5.2 times more likely to have significant colorectal neoplasia than women with a BMI of 25 or less (healthy weight). SOURCE: American College of Gastroenterology, news release, Nov. 1, 2004 Colonoscopy Better then Sigmoidoscopy For Women: WEDNESDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Colonoscopy is by far the best test to catch colon cancer early in women, a new study claims. Colonoscopy, in which the entire colon is examined, finds more precancerous polyps than does flexible sigmoidoscopy, which only reaches only the lower quarter of the colon, explained study author Dr. Philip Schoenfeld, an assistant professor of gastroenterology at the University of Michigan Medical School, in Ann Arbor. His report appears in the May 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Important Discovery: New Colon Cancer Marker Found: Levels of molecule may predict severity of disease and survival, researchers say. THURSDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDayNews) -- Harvard researchers have found a new marker that may signal more invasive and lethal forms of colon cancer. These findings could eventually lead to more targeted treatments and new ways to screen for more aggressive disease, report the researchers.

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