How Much Does the Doctor Performing Colonoscopy Influence Colorectal Cancer Prevention?

• What Is Colonoscopy? Why and How Is It Performed?

A recent British medical journal study shared findings showing how much the doctor performing colonoscopy influences more effective colorectal cancer prevention.

According to Ministry of Health statistics, colorectal cancer is among the 5 most common and deadliest cancers. Approximately 1 million new cases are diagnosed worldwide annually, with around 500.000 deaths. Over the last 20 years, diagnostic and treatment advances and screening programs have enabled earlier diagnosis and reduced mortality.

Screening tests are performed in healthy people to detect any disease early. Timely testing identifies potentially cancerous tissues and allows removal before cancer develops. It is therefore extremely important in early colorectal cancer diagnosis and prevention. Polyps become more common after 50. These benign tumors (adenomas) may later turn cancerous and should be found and removed first. Screening after 50, every 10 years, is therefore important.

Colonoscopy is a leading colorectal screening test. A thin, flexible tube with a camera enters through the anus to examine the large bowel. Besides imaging, polyps and small tumors that could cause major future problems can be removed or sampled. These procedures are easy and painless. Many other bowel problems can also be detected. Colonoscopy greatly reduces incidence and mortality, but even a small missed polyp can later cause serious problems or death. The doctor's knowledge and experience are therefore unquestionably the most important factor. To avoid missing abnormal lesions or potentially cancerous tumors, the procedure should be performed by the most knowledgeable and experienced physicians. A recent British medical journal study shared findings on precisely this influence on prevention.

Researchers examined procedures by 136 gastroenterologists whose polyp detection rates ranged from %7 to %52, involving more than 300.000 colonoscopies, then followed cancer development for approximately 10 years. Each %1 increase in the doctor's detection rate reduced the patient's colorectal cancer risk by %3.

In conclusion, the performing doctor's ability to detect polyps substantially affects protection from colorectal cancer. Like everything, colonoscopy should be done by skilled professionals. A doctor performing a procedure with such an impact on cancer incidence must develop expertise as fully as possible.