A study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found an early detection of colorectal cancer in uninsured, high-risk CRC patients who received free colonoscopies, Science Codex reports.
Lead study author Erica Sutton, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the Hiram C. Polk Jr. Department of Surgery at the University of Louisville (Ky.), and colleagues screened 682 uninsured patients between the ages of 24 and 77 over a 12-month period.
Here are five points:
1. The researchers identified cancers in nine patients. Of those nine patients, three had stage I tumors, two had stage II tumors, three had stage III tumors and one had stage 0.
2. CRC incidence was 1.3 percent.
3. The study's cohort's initial cost per patient was $43,126.
4. Comparatively, a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare registry control group of uninsured patients' initial cost per patient was $43,736.
5. Dr. Sutton stated all Louisville hospitals are now offering the free screenings.