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Study supports guideline-recommended 10-year rescreening interval for colorectal cancer after a negative colonoscopy

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Dr KK Aggarwal    26 December 2018

Current guidelines recommend colonoscopy every 10 years, after a colonoscopy with normal findings (negative colonoscopy results, as the preferred screening strategy for colorectal cancer.

A study published Dec. 17, 2018 in JAMA Internal Medicine has provided evidence that corroborates this recommendation.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in an integrated health care delivery organization serving more than 4 million members across Northern California. A total of 1 251 318 average-risk screening-eligible patients, aged 50-75 years, between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2015, were included. The hazard ratios (HRs) for colorectal cancer and related deaths were calculated according to time since negative colonoscopy result (or since cohort entry for those unscreened).

The results showed that at 10 years after a negative colonoscopy, the risk for colorectal cancer and related deaths was 46% and 88% lower in patients who underwent colonoscopy, respectively, versus patients who were unscreened. A reduced risk of colorectal cancer and related deaths was also observed after at least 12 years of follow-up after the initial exam.

Lead author Jeffrey K. Lee, MD, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, said that with the results of this study, physicians "can feel confident" about the guideline-recommended 10-year rescreening interval after a negative colonoscopy in which no colorectal cancer or polyps were found.

 

(Source: JAMA Intern Med. Published online December 17, 2018)

 

 

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

President Elect Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania   (CMAAO)

Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications

President Heart Care Foundation of India

Immediate Past National President IMA

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