Initial Colonoscopy Key to Cancer Detection

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Researchers with the University of Buffalo and the VA Western New York found that colonoscopies uncover polyps more frequently among patients over the age of 80 than among younger patients. They concluded that age alone should not be the sole deciding factor as to whether an elderly patient should undergo the procedure.

And a team at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif., found that colonoscopy seems to increase survival rates among the elderly by detecting polyps in patients as old as 84 who are without symptoms despite the onset of colorectal cancer.

More information

To learn more about screening for colorectal cancer, visit the American College of Gastroenterology.