ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR)– A new study out of Europe takes a look at the effectiveness of colonoscopies and the results have people wondering if they still need to get the invasive screenings.
A Colorado doctor says the answer is yes!
Colonoscopies are recommended every ten years for people starting at age 45.
But the new European study published in the New England Journal of Medicine compared results from a group that was invited to get screened against a group that did not.
Those who were invited to get screened showed only an 18% lower risk of getting colorectal cancer and no significant reduction in the risk of death. These results are lower than other studies.
But Dr. Jaya Kumar, the Chief Medical Officer at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, says that is not a good comparison. She points out that only 42% of people invited to get screened actually had the test.
“58% didn’t show up for the colonoscopy. So you can’t analyze the benefit of a colonoscopy when you didn’t have it,” she said.
Kumar said if you look at the data for the group that did have the screening , the results show greater benefit. “It did indeed prevent the risk of having colorectal cancers by 30% and the risk of dying by 50%,” she said.
Kumar believes more research is required, but her recommendation to get colonoscopies will remain the same.
“The overwhelming evidence is in support of having those,” Kumar said.
For more information on the recent study, click here.