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People considered “low risk” for colorectal cancer are having too many colonoscopies, and not enough patients considered “high risk” for the disease are having timely follow-up procedures, according to researchers with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
To hear your doctor recommend a “colonoscopy” can send chills down most peoples’ spines. The procedure, which involves a doctor sending a little camera fixed to the end of a flexible tube through the colon and into the intestines, can make even the strongest folks a bit uncomfortable. Some even fear that the procedure itself can cause harm. One study hopes to put those fears into perspective.
Many physicians who perform colonoscopies are beginning to ask their patient for a second cleansing of the bowel in the wee hours before their procedures to ensure the bowel is clean and reduce the need for a redo.
While overall colorectal cancer rates are steadily decreasing, colorectal cancer rates among younger patients are on the rise, according to data collected from the 13 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries nationwide and studied by the American Cancer Society.
