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New test performs well in bowel screening trial
February 01, 2012
Research shows that the flexible sigmoidoscopy test can improve detection of bowel cancer.
People with private medical insurance may want to ask about a bowel screening test called flexible sigmoidoscopy, after research found it to be effective at detecting bowel cancer.
The test is not widely available on the NHS, although it is currently being rolled out as part of the national screening programme.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh analysed data on 77,447 people who took part in a screening trial between 1993 and 2001.
They found that repeated screening with the flexible sigmoidoscopy test increased the detection of bowel cancer and advanced adenoma by one-quarter in women and one-third in men.
However, the study authors - whose findings are published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute - noted that repeated tests may not be the best approach.
They wrote: "Although repeated flexible sigmoidoscopy increases screening yields, it also increases the costs of screening, the need for diagnostic intervention, and the risks of complication."
The UK government is in the process of introducing flexible sigmoidoscopy into the current bowel screening programme.
Pilots are due to begin this year, with coverage expected to reach 30 per cent by the end of 2013-14 and full roll-out in 2016.
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