Study: Routine Screening Detects and Prevents Colon Cancer

Routine screening for colon cancer succeeds not only in early detection but also the prevention of colon cancer, according to a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

About 50,000 people participated in an 18-year study to determine the value of screening for colon cancer.

The rate of colon cancer was reduced by 20 percent in the group of people who were tested for fecal occult blood in comparison to those who were not tested, according to the researchers.

The results of this new study should encourage more people to be tested because men and women in the study who were screened annually developed 20 % fewer cases of colon cancer and those tested every other year developed 17% fewer cases.

The reason that screening can actually prevent colon cancer is that individuals who tested positive were able to have pre-cancerous lesions or polyps removed before they ever became cancerous. Colon cancer is not only curable but often preventable as a result of screening, the researchers noted.

Other sources: New England Journal of Medicine