WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 23, 2007) -- Although colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, when detected early, it has one of the highest cure rates. For this reason, innovative and improved methods to screen for and detect this disease are essential. Research presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2007 (DDW) demonstrates the breadth of technological and research advances that are helping to decrease both the number of deaths and the number of new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed in the United States. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

Although the colonoscopy is considered the most effective means to detect precursors of colon cancer, the overall reported rate of missing colorectal tumors is 24 percent, as reported in 1997. In the past 10 years, significant advances in screening technologies have led to the development of colonoscopes (long, flexible, lighted tubes with attached cameras) that have a wider angle of view and non-white light capabilities, such as narrow band imaging (NBI). Researchers from the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif. utilized current technologies to study the colonoscopic polyp miss rate, comparing NBI to white light imaging.

NBI changes the white light normally emitted by the colonoscope to a bluish light, providing a narrower wavelength and enhancing visual contrast of the surface structure of the colon. In this study, two consecutive, same-day colonoscopies were performed in 276 patients. All colonoscopies used a wide angle of view (170 degrees compared to standard 140) and high
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Contact: Aimee Frank
AFrank@gastro.org
301-941-2620
American Gastroenterological Association
23-May-2007