Are there any alternatives to colonoscopy for cancer screening?
Colonoscopy is widely accepted as the “gold standard” for colon cancer screening. No other procedure is as sensitivefor the detection of polyps which are known to be precursors of colon cancer. Other tests being used for screening purposes include barium Xrays, stool tests for blood and “virtual” colonoscopy (CT colonography). The latter test is attracting interest as it can be performed without putting patients to sleep with sedation. Unfortunately, justlike regular colonoscopy, CT colonography requires a prep or “clean-out” and the procedure can be very painful. In addition the sensitivity of CT colonography for small polyps and flat polyps is significantly less than for regular colonoscopy. For these and other reasons regular colonoscopyremains theprocedure of choice for colon cancer screening.
