Screening age for colorectal neoplasia- flexible sigmoidoscopy a useful screening tool
Dear Editor,
We read this article with great interest. Flexible sigmoidoscopy will
prove to be very useful addition in screening armamentarium for the
patients at risk of developing colorectal neoplasia.
While we understand the majority of colorectal neoplasia occurs in left
side of colon and is more common in patients older than 50 years, however
there has been exponential increase in last decade in neoplastic lesions
being identified in patients younger than this screening age group of 55
years and were dedected in patients younger than 50 i.e. 40- 44 years
according to the data of the University of south Florida. According to
this data, there were about one hundred patients with colorectal neoplasia
in the last seven years who were younger than 50 years.
As we know, highest proportion of these lesions is found in the left
colon with seventy percent distal to the splenic flexure.
In our opinion , flexible sigmoidoscopy is very useful modality for
diagnosis of colorectal neoplasia and in view of increasing prevalence in
younger population, screening age will have to be reduced below than the
current screening age of 55 years as described in this article and may
have to be considered in patients older than 40 years with risk of
developing colorectal carcinoma.
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Screening age for colorectal neoplasia- flexible sigmoidoscopy a useful screening tool
Dear Editor,
We read this article with great interest. Flexible sigmoidoscopy will
prove to be very useful addition in screening armamentarium for the
patients at risk of developing colorectal neoplasia.
While we understand the majority of colorectal neoplasia occurs in left
side of colon and is more common in patients older than 50 years, however
there has been exponential increase in last decade in neoplastic lesions
being identified in patients younger than this screening age group of 55
years and were dedected in patients younger than 50 i.e. 40- 44 years
according to the data of the University of south Florida. According to
this data, there were about one hundred patients with colorectal neoplasia
in the last seven years who were younger than 50 years.
As we know, highest proportion of these lesions is found in the left
colon with seventy percent distal to the splenic flexure.
In our opinion , flexible sigmoidoscopy is very useful modality for
diagnosis of colorectal neoplasia and in view of increasing prevalence in
younger population, screening age will have to be reduced below than the
current screening age of 55 years as described in this article and may
have to be considered in patients older than 40 years with risk of
developing colorectal carcinoma.
Competing interests: No competing interests