Early detection of colorectal cancer can dramatically improve an individual's chances for avoiding this deadly disease, and screening colonoscopy is the gold standard for CRC prevention. One detractor, however, is patient avoidance due to perceived discomfort of the bowel preparation process and the colonoscopy itself. Mitigation of these concerns has prompted companies to look for less invasive or even noninvasive screening solutions that have the same sensitivity as diagnostic colonoscopy. These emerging technologies range from advanced endoscopic devices to new methods of in vivo tissue characterization.
by Robert Dunki-Jacobs
Excluding skin cancer, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the US and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 106,000 new US cases of colon cancer and 50,000 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and nearly 50,000 people will die of CRC. All told, 1 in 19 people in the US can expect to develop CRC in their lifetime