Colon Cancer Screenings Help Prevent Incidence of Future Health Issues

Previous studies have shown the effectiveness of colorectal cancer screenings for catching symptoms early and treating potentially fatal health issues.

A report from the Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy and Effectiveness Research Center at Yale Cancer Center, with data collected from 1976 to 2009, shows that throughout this 30-year time span, cancer rates significantly declined because of increased screenings. Screening methods included fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopies, and colonoscopies.

The researchers studied the colorectal cancer incidence data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database, along with its Cancer Trends Progress Report. Findings showed that the incidence of late-stage cancer degreased from 118 cases per 100,000 people over the age of 50, to 74 cases per 100,000, according to a press release.

Furthermore, the study authors discovered that early-stage cancer was more likely to decline with early screenings. For instance, the rates went down from 77 to 67 cases per 100,000 people over the age of 50 during a period where cancer screening increased from 34.8 percent to 66.1 percent.

With the rates of increased screenings, the study authors calculated that as many as 500,000 cancer cases have been prevented.

"These numbers represent real patients and families who have been spared the trauma of a cancer diagnosis and treatment," said the study's senior author, James Yu, M.D., assistant professor of therapeutic radiology at Yale School of Medicine, via the release. "Colorectal cancer screening is one of the major successes in cancer care."

Researchers stress the importance of these findings in light of mammography screenings for breast cancer and overtreatment.

"The efficacy of colorectal cancer screening is important to highlight, especially at a time when there has been a national discussion about screening for other types of cancer," said Cary Gross, M.D., a co-author on the study and director of the Yale COPPER Center, via the release.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Cancer.