Study: Screenings Detect Colorectal Cancer at Earlier Stage

Colorectal cancer diagnosed during a routine screening is generally at an earlier, more curable stage than cancer diagnosed because of symptoms, according to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center researchers.

The finding, reported in the journal Gastroenterology, is important because more than 90 percent of people diagnosed at an early-stage survive more than five years after diagnosis, compared with 8 percent of those diagnosed with late-stage colorectal cancer.

In their analysis of more than 900 Washington-state patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, the researchers said 53 percent of the cases detected by a routine screening were caught at an early stage, while only 30 percent of those diagnosed after the onset of symptoms were at an early stage.

"By shifting diagnosis to earlier, asymptomatic stages, screening programs catch cancer at an earlier, more curable stage and significantly reduce the costs of both diagnosis and treatment among people with cancer," Dr. Scott D. Ramsey of Fred Hutchinson said in a prepared statement.

Other sources: Gastroenterologyhh