Barium Enema Safe, Accurate, Cost-Effective Test For Colorectal Cancer Screening

Double-contrast barium enema is a safe, accurate, cost-effective test that is used to detect colorectal cancer in both average and high-risk patients.

Some 75 percent of all new colorectal cancers strike people with no risk factors other than age and this is why regular screening is so important, the American Cancer Society (ACS) says. Anyone over the age of 50 is at least at average risk from developing this form of cancer.

"Double-contrast barium enema is a particularly good screening test," says national colo-rectal cancer authority Seth Glick, MD, of Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. "It directly evaluates the entire colon, while posing no risk to the patient."

Dr. Glick points out that double-contrast barium enema is now recommended by the ACS as a screening tool for patients at average and high risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Dr, Glick's comments came as activities began across the nation for the first National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Last year the U.S. Senate officially designated March 2000 as the first Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

In addition to ACS, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has cited double-contrast barium enema as one of the prime colorectal cancer screening options available and now reimburses Medicare patients who use the test.

Other HCFA approved screening options are fecal occult blood test, flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy. Barium enema is the only test covered for average risk and increased risk patients, according to HCFA's guidelines.

HCFA's guidelines suggest that persons at average risk have a double-contrast barium enema every four years or a flexible sigmoidoscopy every four years or a fecal occult blood test yearly. The agency recommends a double-contrast barium enema or colonoscopy every two years for those at higher risk of developing the disease.

"While double-contrast barium enema has long been considered a useful and safe test to detect colorectal cancer, it has not been widely used for screening in the past," Dr. Glick says. "Now, with the recommendations from ACS, HCFA and recent studies supporting its accuracy and cost-effectiveness, we hope that more people will take advantage of its availability."

According to the ACS, when colon cancer is found early and hasn't spread the patient has a 91 percent chance of survival. Only 37 percent of these cancers are found at this stage. Once cancer has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes the chances of survival decreases drastically. In fact, once it spreads to other parts of the body the chance of survival is only 7 percent.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.