Both the ACG and ASGE recommend and endorse colonoscopy as the preferred prevention strategy for colorectal cancer because of its ability to view the entire colon and remove potentially precancerous polyps. Flexible sigmoidoscopy, on the other hand, offers only a limited view of the lower left side of the colon.
Delbert Chumley, MD, and M. Brian Fennerty, MD, presidents of the ACG and ASGE respectively, add that screening colonoscopy is one of the few preventive services that contributes to cost-savings in the healthcare system.
Read the ACG, ASGE letter to the New York Times about colorectal cancer screening modalities (pdf).
Read other coverage of colorectal cancer screening modalities.
– 5 USPSTF Recommendations for CRC Prevention and Screening
– Study: Optical Colonoscopy More Effective Than CT Colonography
– Four out of Five Providers Fail to Follow All CRC Screening Guidelines
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