Patient-Friendly Colorectal Cancer Screening

Monday, March 1, 2004

Patient-Friendly Colorectal Cancer Screening (NAPSA)—Gettested. For people at risk for certain types of cancer, the simple advice to get screened could, quite literally, make the difference between life and death. For instance, the American Cancer Society calls for colorectal cancer screenings, beginning at age 50 for patients of average risk. That’s because there are reliable techniques to detect early-stage colorectal cancer—techniques that have been proven to reduce mortality. An estimated 150,000 Americans were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2004, and more than 57,000 died from the disease. It is the second leading cause of cancer death, with more annualfatalities than breast, prostate or uterine cancer. Colorectal cancer is also the third most commoncancer in both men and women. Yet barely 50 percent of the over-50 population gets properly tested. Why the low screening rate? Simply put, testing has traditionally been an unpleasant matter, as patients were required to scoop and smear stool from several days’ bowel movements. Fortunately, there is a test that removes much of the unpleasantnessof screening. Testing methodology Fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) are used to detect occult (*hidden”) or small amounts of blood in the stool. FOBTs are used for colorectal cancer screening based on the rationale that cancers and large adenomatous polyps (precursors to cancer) bleed \ y A convenient test called InSure makesit easy for people to get screened for colon cancer. into the lower gastrointestinal tract and this bleeding can be detected in stool. InSure™ belongs to a class of FOBTs known as fecal immunochemical tests (FITs), which specifically detect the protein portion of human blood in the stool. The test is more convenient and easier to use than previous methods. Benefits include: * No fecal handling required (a brush is swished in toilet water and dabbedonto a card); * No dietary or medicinal restrictions prior to specimen collection; * High rate of detection for colorectal cancer, and * The toilet water sample can be collected entirely in the privacy of the patient’s home. InSure is a general screening test for the normal-risk population. To learn more or for additional information, speak with your health care provider and visit the InSure Web site at www.insuretest.com.

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