Colonoscopy reduces the risk of cancer by 40%

A study in the United States found that colonoscopy every 10 years could prevent 40% of the risk of colon cancer, according to AFP news agency.

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In a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine , Harvard Medical School experts also recommend that people with family history with this cancer should be checked more often.

The results confirm existing recommendations for colonoscopy, providing evidence that this measure is particularly useful in preventing cancers that start from the upper part of the colon.

Colonoscopy contributes to the risk of cancer - (Photo: Shutterstock)

Expert Shuji Ogino and colleagues analyzed data of nearly 89,000 patients in two long-term studies, drawing conclusions based on surveys conducted every two years during the 1988 period. to 2008.

The team also collected information about any colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy performed. They recorded 1,815 colon cancer cases and 474 deaths from this disease.

They found that both measures reduce the risk of disease and death from colon cancer. But only colonoscopy reduces the risk of cancer in the upper part of the colon, although its effect is less successful than preventing cancer in the lower intestine.

Experts estimate that if all patients undergo colonoscopy, the risk of colon cancer is generally reduced by 40%, preventing 61% of the risk of colon cancer and 22% of the risk of cancer. letter on the colon.

The team says there may be molecular and biological differences between the upper and lower parts of the colon that affect the success rate of colonoscopy.