colonoscopy

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Colorectal Cancer Now Top Cancer Killer for Americans Under 50

Younger patients often misread symptoms, delaying diagnosis and treatment

(Newser) - Colorectal cancer has moved into the top spot as the deadliest cancer for Americans under 50, and doctors say too many people are still brushing off the warning signs, the Guardian reports. A new American Cancer Society analysis finds roughly three-quarters of younger patients are diagnosed only after the disease...

Pandemic Stalling on Cancer Care Cost Lives
Cancer Patients Suffered a
Pandemic Double Whammy
NEW STUDY
Feb 6, 2026 5:05 PM CST

Cancer Patients Suffered a Pandemic Double Whammy

Research: Disruptions to diagnoses, treatment in COVID era proved deadly for cancer patients

(Newser) - During the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts worried that disruptions to cancer diagnosis and treatment would cost lives. A new study suggests they were right. The federally funded study published Thursday by the medical journal JAMA Oncology is being called the first to assess the effects of pandemic-related...

He Had His First Colonoscopy, Found It 'Wonderful'

Sam Anderson wants everyone to experience the same 'bliss'

(Newser) - In one sense, it's a fairly typical plea: Sam Anderson just had his first colonoscopy in middle age, and he encourages others to do the same. But Anderson's essay in the New York Times Magazine takes a unique approach to this idea, one that has nothing to do...

45- to 49-Year-Olds Aren't Racing to Get Colonoscopies

Study finds that less than a quarter followed new cancer recommendations

(Newser) - If you're in the second-half of your 40s, you should have "colon cancer screening" crossed off your to-do list. But if you haven't, you're unfortunately in good company. A new study out of UCLA has found that fewer than one in four adults ages 45 to...

Doctor Disciplined Over Colonoscopy Patient Screams

Florida physician wasn't wearing his required hearing aids, says complaint

(Newser) - It sounds nightmarish: A doctor in Florida failed to wear his hearing aids and thus could not hear his colonoscopy patient screaming in pain, according to a medical complaint cited by USA Today . Gastroenterologist Dr. Ishwari Prasad has been placed on probation by the state for his actions at the...

FDA Approves Blood Test That Detects Colon Cancer

Guardant Health's Shield test picked up 83% of colorectal cancer cases

(Newser) - The FDA has given the green light to a blood test expected to improve screening for colon cancer. Guardant Health's Shield test, which looks for tumor DNA in blood samples, was found to detect 83% of colorectal cancers in patients with the disease. The test, to be administered at...

Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Is a 'Bigger Problem Every Year'

It's now the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50, and scientists aren't sure why

(Newser) - March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and doctors are urging people much younger than typical colorectal cancer to be aware of the symptoms . For reasons that scientists say are still unclear, the rate of colorectal cancer in people under 50 has been steadily rising for around 30 years, the New ...

Colonoscopies Just Got Kicked Off Their 'Pedestal'
Colonoscopies Just Got
Kicked Off Their 'Pedestal'
NEW STUDY
Oct 11, 2022 8:53 AM CDT

Colonoscopies Just Got Kicked Off Their 'Pedestal'

Screening tool for colon cancer not as effective as once thought, though docs stress it's still important

(Newser) - No one ever looks forward to a colonoscopy, but it's long been framed as a crucial tool in the fight against colon cancer. As Stat News notes, "gastroenterologists put colonoscopies on a pedestal" for decades. Now, a new 10-year study out of Europe puts somewhat of a damper...

Colonoscopy Might've Saved Ryan Reynolds
Colonoscopy Might've
Saved Ryan Reynolds
VIDEO
Sep 14, 2022 12:08 PM CDT

Colonoscopy Might've Saved Ryan Reynolds

Actor learned 'extremely subtle polyp' in colon may have developed into cancer

(Newser) - Ryan Reynolds lost a bet and as a result had to publicly broadcast his first colonoscopy. "But it still paid off," according to the actor. Indeed. The procedure, in which a camera is inserted into the rectum to look for colon polyps, was potentially life-saving. In a video...

An Update on Biden's Health After Colonoscopy

Possible 'precancerous lesion' was removed, but the president remains 'fit for duty,' per physician

(Newser) - A clump of cells removed from President Biden's colon during his routine colonoscopy at Walter Reed Medical Center last week was a "benign, slow-growing, but thought to be potentially precancerous lesion," according to a memo from his physician. Dr. Kevin O'Connor described the polyp—a clump...

Harris Is First Woman to Gain Presidential Power, Briefly

President Biden will be under anesthesia for routine colonoscopy Friday

(Newser) - Vice President Kamala Harris is making history again: She'll become the first woman to hold presidential power while President Biden undergoes a routine procedure on Friday. Biden will temporarily transfer power to Harris while he is under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy, according to White House press secretary Jen...

New Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines Are Here

Panel recommends routine screenings start at 45, not 50

(Newser) - Just turned 45 and figured you had another half a decade before your routine colonoscopies start? Well, maybe not. The US Preventive Services Task Force, an influential panel, now recommends routine screening for colorectal cancer should start at 45, not 50, NPR reports. Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of...

American Cancer Society Says You Should Do This at 45

It moves guideline for colon cancer screening earlier, from age 50

(Newser) - Getting screened for colon cancer is no longer a rite-of-passage for a 50-year-old, at least according to the American Cancer Society. In updated guidelines released Wednesday, it inched the recommended age to 45. NPR explains that doesn't mean getting a colonoscopy. The new recommendations detail six screening options, which...

Coming to Colon Cancer Screening: Simple Home Test

Cologuard inspires mixed reactions, offers non-invasive option

(Newser) - Starting tomorrow, millions of people who have avoided colon cancer screening can get a new home test that's noninvasive and doesn't require the icky preparation most other methods do. Cologuard, developed at the Mayo Clinic, is the first to look for cancer-related DNA in stool. But deciding whether...

Screenings Slash Colon Cancer Rate 30% in a Decade

But researchers see more work ahead

(Newser) - The fight against colon cancer through screening is "one of the great public health success stories of the decade," says a top figure at the American Cancer Society: In people over 50, colon cancer rates have dropped by 30% over the past decade, researchers say. That's mostly...

VA Hospital Delays Are Killing Veterans

Report obtained by CNN shows at least 19 dead due to lengthy waits

(Newser) - Some pretty grim news courtesy of a Veterans Affairs internal report on patients diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and 2011 that CNN obtained: Delays at VA hospitals are killing veterans. At least 19 have died because of delays in medical screenings; they're part of a group of 82 vets...

Why Americans Pay More for Colonoscopies

Because America charges more, and has made the procedure more profitable

(Newser) - Americans spend more on health care than any other country. A US hip replacement costs four times as much as one in Switzerland. A C-section costs three times as much as New Zealand. And a hospital stay costs triple that of other developed nations—though it doesn't typically last...

Study: Colonoscopy Cuts Cancer Deaths

Invasive test definitely a life-saver, researchers say

(Newser) - To say colonoscopies are unpopular would be an understatement, but the procedure definitely saves lives, a new study finds. The research, which confirms what doctors have long believed, found that the death rate from colon cancer was cut by 53% among people who had the test and had precancerous growths...

Elderly Americans Getting Too Many Colonoscopies

Study says unnecessary colon screening are health risk, drain on Medicare

(Newser) - Americans are getting repeat colon cancer tests they don't need and Medicare is paying for it, a new study reveals. The screening is only necessary once every 10 years, but almost half of the Medicare patients in the study had a colonoscopy less than seven years after getting normal...

Easy DNA Tests Raise Hopes on Colon Cancer

They're less invasive than colonoscopies

(Newser) - Doctors believe two new DNA-based tests could sharply reduce colon cancer, and spare millions of people from undergoing colonoscopies. One test, developed by Exact Sciences in Wisconsin, examines stool samples for the presence of four altered genes that are indicative of the cancer. Another group, from Germany, tests blood samples...

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