RSS Feeds
Life Expectancy and Colorectal Cancer Screening
- Cary P. Gross, MD;
- Gail J. McAvay, PhD; and
- Mary E. Tinetti, MD
- From Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520.
IN RESPONSE:
Colorectal cancer screening can benefit patients through 2 mechanisms. First, a screening colonoscopy will increase the likelihood of early-stage cancer diagnosis among patients with prevalent disease (1). Because of the slow-growing nature of colorectal cancer, clinical benefits of this stage shift take years to accrue (1, 2). This is because the colorectal cancer survival benefit is due to the detection and treatment of early-stage cancer that otherwise would not have resulted in death for at least 5 years. Hence, further …
