Bowel cancer screening, comprising of a stool test followed by colonoscopy reduces death rate by up to 45% in an Australian study
New research led by the University of South Australia shows just how effective bowel cancer screening is in helping to reduce the number of bowel cancer deaths by up to 45 percent.
Bowel (or colorectal) cancer kills almost 700,000 people worldwide but this number would be much higher without bowel cancer screening.
More than 90% of cases of colorectal cancer occur in people who are above 50 years of age. Screening for bowel cancer is vital for early detection and removal of colon polyps. Colon polyps are mostly benign growths in the colon that start from normal colon tissue, but can grow larger and become cancerous.
Data from 12,906 bowel cancer patients indicate that faecal occult blood testing (FOBT) with a follow-up colonoscopy plays a key role in catching the disease early, before symptoms appear.
The risk of colorectal cancer death reduces step-wise with increasing numbers of colonoscopy examinations before symptoms appear, cutting the mortality rate from 17 percent to 45 percent
Researchers from UniSA’s Cancer Epidemiology and Population Health found that having one pre-diagnostic colonoscopy was associated with a 17 percent reduction in cancer deaths; a 27 percent reduction with two pre-diagnostic colonoscopy procedures and 45 percent for three or more.
Of the 12,906 records analysed, 37 percent of the patients had pre-diagnostic colonoscopies and were more likely to live longer than those who were diagnosed after experiencing cancer symptoms.
The risk of colorectal cancer death reduces step-wise with increasing numbers of colonoscopy examinations before symptoms appear, cutting the mortality rate from 17 percent to 45 percent,” said Dr Ming Li, one of the lead authors of the study.
“Our findings show the value of the National Bowel Screening Program which is now being rolled out to everyone in Australia over the age of 50 on a two-yearly basis. It involves doing a simple, non-invasive faecal occult blood test (FOBT) which, if positive, is followed up with a colonoscopy.”
Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide, but 90 percent can be cured if detected early, according to the Cancer Council.
