Colonoscopic screening for colon cancer.
Colonoscopic screening for colon cancer was suggested in 1988 [17], but it has only recently received significant acceptance. It is a topic of much current discussion among both health care providers and the general public, especially since the nationally broadcasted colonoscopy of a well-known television anchor person [8]. This brief discussion presents the role of colonoscopy in colon cancer screening. It sets forth the rationale for endoscopic screening, evaluates it using World Health Organization guidelines, and briefly considers the timing and termination of screening. By screening is meant the testing of asymptomatic individuals in a large population. This is to be distinguished from surveillance, which involves ongoing follow-up testing of individuals at known risk. The former is the subject of this discussion.
Department of Surgery, Columbia University, NY 10032, USA. kaf2@columbia.edu
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D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000236:Adenoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000601:surgery; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018450:Disease Progression; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity