Aetna has announced that, based on input from the AGA Institute and discussions with a number of gastroenterologists, it will not implement Clinical Policy Bulletin 0740 on April 1, 2008, as planned.

Patients who have had a colonoscopy can play a life-saving role by encouraging other patients to follow through with their own colorectal cancer screenings, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

A pilot study from researchers at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, found that narrow band imaging (NBI) colonoscopy used in cancer surveillance for ulcerative colitis patients can identify flat dysplastic lesions. The research appears in the November issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Colonic lipomas have been found in related literature. One extremely rare case was recently reported in the November 14 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology because of its maximum diameter of 8.5 cm. The article discussed age and sex factors, clinical and histopathological findings, diagnostic methods and treatment by reviewing the present case and previously available literature.

Research from La Fe University Hospital in Valencia, Spain shows that capsule endoscopy diagnoses more Crohn’s disease recurrence after surgery than colonoscopy. Capsule endoscopy led to changes in therapy for more than half of the patients studied.

The use of an evidence-based sedation protocol for endoscopic procedures improves the quality of practice and reduces the incidence of sedation-related adverse events, according to an “AGA Institute Review of Endoscopic Sedation” published in the August issue of Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

More New Yorkers are getting life-saving colonoscopies than ever before, the Health Department announced today, and people of all races and incomes are benefiting. The test - which can detect, prevent, or cure colorectal cancer - is generally recommended once every decade for people 50 and older, and earlier for those with a family history of the disease.

When screening for colorectal cancer, there are many different test options; however, there has been no consensus on the most appropriate screening method for specific subsets of patients.

Colonoscopies are considered the gold standard for detecting colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Research presented today at Digestive Disease Week® 2007 (DDW®) discusses contributing factors that could prevent patients from getting optimal results from their colonoscopy, including age of the patient, location of the screening and proper technician training.