Posted on 05/19/2023 9:55:32 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
The accuracy of detecting bowel cancer is increased to almost 100% by carrying out a common test twice rather than once, a new study shows.
The test—called a fecal immunochemical test (FIT)—is used to detect blood in bowel movements that is not visible, which may indicate the presence of bowel cancer.
Researchers found that carrying out the test twice ensured more cases of bowel cancer were identified.
As well as reducing the risk of a missed diagnosis, experts say this two-test approach has the potential to reduce demand for colonoscopies in a health care system under pressure.
Early detection is important as bowel cancer is treatable and curable if diagnosed early. Many people have symptoms of bowel disease but none of them are specific for bowel cancer, which can lead to invasive investigations they may not need.
The existing one-test approach is used to determine who should be referred to a specialist.
They found that doing two FIT tests detected 96.6% of bowel cancer cases correctly, whereas undertaking just one test only detected 84.1%. The median time between the two tests was 13 days.
The study also showed that 16.8% of those to complete two tests had sufficient variation in their test results to change their management plan. This occurred irrespective of significant bowel conditions and highlights the benefit of repeated testing, experts say.
The study showed that patients with two negative FIT tests have a very low underlying risk of bowel cancer (0.17%) and may not need to undergo tests that may cause harm.
Researchers say that while there is an increase in positivity rate by 7.3% using the double-FIT strategy, the workload implications are low given patients with two negative tests may be given alternative management plans.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
One test has not been considered accurate enough to trust, leading to a colonoscopy with any positive and seemingly, simply trusting the negative was not false.
This should help everyone. Take the tests 13 days apart. Doctors who prescribed the fecal tests can now know with much more certainty that the results were accurate.
These can be ordered from online test services like Direct Labs.
Who wants to be scoped without a known reason?
They cannot kill you with this test. They can however easily injure and kill you with colonoscopies.
There is even an MRI based “coloscopy” that isn’t invasive. Many accurate alternatives available, yet they push and push and push the scope. I find it baffling.
The situation is this. If you have polyps, and roughly 50% of people over 65 do have polyps, there is a 5% chance that any of them will ever develop into cancer. The problem is 5% of 50% of the whole population is a lot of cancer cases.
Lifetime risk is about 4%. After age 70 it becomes less clear that screening should continue, because your life expectancy is coming into play and you may die of something else. If you have a family history that 4% increases.
The FIT test concept is that the polyp that is going to develop into cancer will bleed before that happens.
The scope means different things at different ages. It’s mostly a routine screen at younger ages, but at older ages it is as much a removal mechanism as it is a screening mechanism because the number of polyps are just so large in the population.
MONEY!!!!!
Interesting...
They are upfront about the risks with colonoscopies. Due to my long history w/ IBD I have had more colonoscopies than the average person; I stopped keeping track after #12. Injuries can happen, but they really aren’t likely.
I consider the colonoscopy to be safe in competent hands. I would rather have the doctor perform one because they can asses first-hand what might be going on in there. I have had polyps removed, and I’m glad they aren’t there anymore.
Who knows what any of them might have developed into?
I know it’s inconvenient and there may be a “cringe” factor associated with it, but I would rather have it done than not.
And besides, they do shoot you up with some cool stuff….🤪
FTA: “may not need to undergo tests that may cause harm”.
Yes, people are injured from colonoscopies. Many are harmed from the prep for a colonoscopies. The medical experts make lots of $$$ from them.
Hard to believe this will REDUCE the number of colonoscopies.
Quoting from memory...
If you are 70+ and have no risk factors for colon cancer, the risk of being injured by the colonoscopy is HIGHER than the risk of undetected cancer!
Actually, the rate of serious issues is less than I had previously been made aware, according to the abstract link in SC DOC’s post.
That is, serious issues that led to death, at least.
It seems the rest of the time, issues were salvageable, to some degree.
If people have risk factors, they should get scoped on a regular schedule.
If low risk people have anxiety, they should get scoped.
If people have no risk factors, no anxiety, and are elderly, like me, the odds strongly favor no colonoscopies.
We lost a long time family friend to injuries from a colonoscopy.
I’m sorry to hear that.
It’s a personal choice. For my situation, it works…
Well you may have more skilled docs/techs too.
All I know is once I read those things, by the nature of their design, are impossible to sterilize, that was the icing on the cake for NO.
Indeed! I did have one nasty Cdiff infection that landed me in the hospital for a week. I suspect it was from the colonoscope.
There are risks in everything. Next Tuesday will be the two year anniversary of my liver transplant surgery. It’s amazing what medical science can do when everything works right.
It’s certainly better than the alternative….
You don’t know who’ve they had that thing in and they cannot clean the instrument fully. Oh yeah like our scapels, we can’t get them fully clean, but you should still have this dangerous elective surgery so thaf we can bill your insurance for that you’ll probably pay for through your deductibles...
Its not a vital procedure. They pushed colonoscopies on people with the same medical “trust the science” fearporn intimidation that they did the covax. Other things can catch problems equally well. Now this test adds to the list.
You want a gut free from cancer. Tumeric. Garlic. Good quality probiotics daily. Fermented foods you like, like sauerkraut, or kombucha...
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