New Colon Cancer Screening Devices
New colon cancer screening devices may become available soon that are less invasive than the current screening method, which is a colonoscopy. Technologies like a video camera in a pill, a DNA test, and an endocscope that can provide panoramic views, are either already on the market or will be soon.
Last year there were 51,000 deaths from colon cancer in the US. Many deaths can be prevented if more people can be persuaded to get screened for colon cancer; however, many avoid colonoscopy because they think it will be painful and expensive or fear the preparatory procedures. Colonoscopies have been credited with a 25% reduction in colon-tumor deaths in the US in the past decade, but the procedure can at times miss cancerous tumors and polyps that are hidden in the folds of the colon. According to doctors better devices are needed.
The US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the PillCam Colon, a capsule containing a video camera, which travels through the patients digestive system and transmits video images to an external data recorder. More….
Category: News
