New Noninvasive Scan For Colon Cancer Patients

A new procedure has been created to help detect precancerous and cancerous polyps in colon cancer patients. The procedure - which was being tested and researched thoroughly) is a noninvasive scan that avoid the risk of bowel perforation during a colonoscopy.

“We now have another tool to catch these polyps early, and one that's less risky and easier on the patient,” said Dr. Giovanna Casola - one of the authors on the report and a professor of radiology at the University of California San Diego. “We can save lives, and that's the bottom line,” she said. “This gives patients a choice.”

The study was published in the new edition of the New England Journal of Medicine - which pushed insurance companies and Medicare to pay for the new procedure -called virtual colonoscopy or CT colonoscopy. Because of them Medicare and certain private insurance companies will now cover the procedure - but only for people who are too weak and frail or have intestinal problems that could keep doctors from doing the usual colonoscopy.

Doctors recommend that people be screened for colon cancer when they hit the age of 50 and then every ten years afterwards. If polyps are discovered then you should have tests done more often to ensure that the cancer can be caught early on.