6533b85afe1ef96bd12b9f5a

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Colorectal Polyps

subject

description

Publisher Summary Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second leading cause of cancer death for both women and men with more than 130,000 newly diagnosed cases and 50,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. Most colon cancers develop from nonmalignant colonic adenomas or polyps over a comparatively long time period ranging between 24 and 60 months. Reflecting this adenomatous pathogenesis of most colorectal cancers, polyp screening with subsequent polypectomy is used to constitute an effective approach for decreasing the incidence of this malignant tumor. Thus, colorectal screening for polyps may be considered one of the most promising preventive measures in medicine. Most available colorectal screening modalities, including testing for occult fecal blood or double-contrast barium enema, are associated with insufficient diagnostic accuracy. Conventional optical colonoscopy has been established as an accurate method to examine the colon, with high sensitivity and specificity regarding the detection of colorectal polyps. Despite the availability of sufficient screening options, colorectal cancer remains a considerable cause of morbidity and mortality. This discrepancy between theoretical potential and clinical reality is caused mainly in poor patient acceptance, which reflects considerable procedural pain coupled with the rigors of preparatory bowel cleansing as well as the risk of complications such as perforations and limits the acceptance of colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening. Magnetic resonance imaging actually includes all properties, which is necessary for a successful screening tool. The technique is not associated with any exposure to ionizing radiation and lacks any other known harmful side effects.