Men need earlier colon cancer screening
Researchers at the Austrian Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology say men tend to develop colon cancer at an earlier age than their female counterparts.
Both male and female patients are usually advised to take screening tests including colonoscopic studies at the age of fifty, because the prevalence of colon cancer increases from this age onward.
A new study, however, suggests that men are more likely to develop advanced colon cancer at earlier ages and should start taking screen tests sooner.
Researchers analyzed results of screening colonoscopies belonging to 44,350 men and women who were on average about 60.5 years old.
The screenings look for potential precancerous lesions such as adenomas, which are polyps or benign tumors, advanced adenomas and colorectal cancer.
Results showed "a significantly higher rate of these lesions among men compared with women in all age groups, suggesting that male sex constitutes an independent risk factor for colorectal carcinoma," scientists wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Some 25 percent of men were diagnosed with adenomas, compared to 15 percent of women. The rates of cancerous tumors were also 1.5 percent for men compared to 0.7 percent for women.
Reportedly, 19 percent of men between 50 and 54 years old had polyps, compared to 11 percent of their female counterparts.
Both male and female participants who aged between 65 and 69 years shared similar polyp prevalence rates.
Findings indicate new sex-specific age recommendations for screening colonoscopy, said senior researcher Dr. Monika Ferlitsch.
"It is worth it to get screening colonoscopy early enough -- if you are 50 years old if you are a woman, and if it’s possible, if you are 45 years old if you are a man -- since 35 percent of healthy, asymptomatic individuals have polyps and 20 percent of all those have adenomas, which are really easy to remove before they develop into colorectal cancer," she added.
Researchers said further studies "are needed to demonstrate the relative clinical effectiveness of screening at different ages."
Source: presstv.ir
