Doctors may be performing too many repeat colonoscopies on people who've had pre-cancerous polyps removed during an earlier colon cancer screening, a new Norwegian study suggests.
Many of these patients have no greater risk of dying from colon cancer than the general public, the researchers determined.
People who have a single low-risk polyp removed have a much lower risk of colon cancer, compared to both the general public and patients who have multiple polyps or aggressive polyps removed, said lead author Dr. Magnus Loberg, a lecturer in health management and health economics at the University of Oslo.
These low-risk patients likely don't need the aggressive follow-up called for under current guidelines, Loberg said.
"These findings support more intense surveillance of the high-risk group, but should maybe lead to reconsideration of the guidelines regarding the low-risk group," he said.
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6 comments:
WHOAAAA!That's my bread and butter! We have a whole department dedicated to just that! What, are you looking to increase the unemployment rate?
No kidding! "Everybody has one" medical mentality. (So why not take advantage?)
Good to know...one less person up my butt!!!
I call it the bedbug syndrome,where for some reason people have been brainwashed into thinking outside help is necessary to fix certain things.Doctors and exterminators alike are often needed,but not always needed.
I disagree. When you have other health issues, take medication or a medical history in your family I'd rather be safe than sorry
They may be unnecessary, but it's the one chance every few years that I can get that G.I. system squeaky clean.
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