Diabetes Patient Colorectal Cancer Screening is recommended

For those of you who have diabetes seems to be more vigilant against the threat of colon cancer or colon cancer. Scientists in the United States indicates, those who have diabetes may require screening or colon cancer screening earlier given the risk of cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.

The researchers, as reported by WebMD site, found that those aged 40-s and type 2 diabetes have a tendency to develop precancerous colon, called adenomas, as well as people without diabetes aged 50 years.

"The risk is almost as if someone had diabetes at the age of 10 years," said researcher Susan Hongha Vu, MD, an expert clinical gastroenterology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Vu said that if the findings are confirmed in a large-scale research and strong, then it should be a guideline for people with diabetes can do a colon cancer screening since the age of 40 years.

Currently, guidelines for screening in men and women at risk for colon cancer beginning at age 50 years. Typically, the examination was conducted by colonoscopy, which allows doctors to view the entire colon and eliminate abnormal growth. There are other options such as flexible sigmoidoscopy screening and blood tests in stool. But according to the recommendations, those at high risk of colon cancer should undergo early screening.

Vu claimed, the results showed diabetes may be one of these risk factors.

"Many studies have shown an association between type 2 diabetes and increased risk of colon cancer," he said.

"Studies also show that diabetes increases the risk of precancerous lesions in the colon. But as far as we know, no one took the next logical step - ie, to determine whether patients with type 2 diabetes should be screened earlier," said Vu who will present his findings at Digestive Disease Week in San Diego

Diabetes affects polyp pisiko

In his study, the researchers examined the medical records of three groups of patients who had undergone colonoscopy examinations over a period of six years at their institution. The first group of 125 patients aged 40-49 with type 2 diabetes, the second group were 125 patients ages 40-49 without diabetes, and the last group of 125 patients ages 50-59 without diabetes.

The results of colonoscopy examination found at least one case of pre-cancerous polyps in 14 percent of those aged 40-49 without diabetes, 30 percent of those aged 40-49 with diabetes, and 32 percent of those aged 50-59 without diabetes.

However, this study does not prove that diabetes as a direct cause that contributes to the growth of polyps. Patients with diabetes may have other risk factors to develop adenomas and colon cancer are not measured, said John Petrini, MD, a gastroenterologist from Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, California

Vu said there is a possible explanation for the relationship between diabetes and colon cancer. People with diabetes have high insulin levels and abnormal in their blood, and insulin can be fuel for the growth of cells, including precancerous and cancerous cells, he said.

Petrini said the results of this study is very interesting. But he said, need to do research with a larger scale to confirm these findings. It is too early to talk about change guidelines, he said.