For those of you that are not fond of hoses and tubes getting inserted up your butt, there's another option, a less invasive method, for colorectal health screening. I have needed scopes since I was 16 or 17, so the traditional scope doesn't bother me. Some people that I know won't even consider getting screened because of embarrassment or because they think they are fine. People that neglect this kind of screening are really neglecting their health and chancing it. Colon cancer doesn't have to be fatal. Screenings are the only way to catch something abnormal. Because there are no symptoms until it's too late, the screening is the only way to know if something is brewing and needs to be treated or addressed. Yay!!! for more patient options! Now pick one and be healthy.
Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News - FDA Approves New Test for Colorectal Cancer:
FDA Approves New Test for Colorectal Cancer
by GEN Staff
The FDA has approved a new screening test that detects the presence of blood and genetic material linked to colorectal cancer (CRC).
The test, called Cologuard, is the first to combine fecal blood and DNA testing in a single screening. Cologuard been shown to find 92% of cancers, and 69% of polyps with high-grade dysplasia, in patients at average risk for CRC, according to Exact Sciences, which makes the test. Results from the pivotal trial were published earlier this year in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that although the new test detected many more cancers than fecal immunochemical testing, it had more false-positive results.
“The robustly conducted research as part of this FDA approval process has proven that this noninvasive test is highly sensitive in detecting both early-stage colorectal cancer and the most advanced precancerous polyps most likely to develop into cancer,” said David Ahlquist, MD, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn., who helped invent the test, in a statement. “The test is designed for high accuracy, ease of patient use and wide accessibility. We hope that it will make a difference and save many lives.”
DNA testing for CRC has not been endorsed by bodies such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, whose recommendations influence clinical practice. However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed covering Cologuard testing every three years for Medicare beneficiaries.
The test will be available at a cost of $599.
The test, called Cologuard, is the first to combine fecal blood and DNA testing in a single screening. Cologuard been shown to find 92% of cancers, and 69% of polyps with high-grade dysplasia, in patients at average risk for CRC, according to Exact Sciences, which makes the test. Results from the pivotal trial were published earlier this year in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that although the new test detected many more cancers than fecal immunochemical testing, it had more false-positive results.
“The robustly conducted research as part of this FDA approval process has proven that this noninvasive test is highly sensitive in detecting both early-stage colorectal cancer and the most advanced precancerous polyps most likely to develop into cancer,” said David Ahlquist, MD, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn., who helped invent the test, in a statement. “The test is designed for high accuracy, ease of patient use and wide accessibility. We hope that it will make a difference and save many lives.”
DNA testing for CRC has not been endorsed by bodies such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, whose recommendations influence clinical practice. However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed covering Cologuard testing every three years for Medicare beneficiaries.
The test will be available at a cost of $599.
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