Is Colonoscopy Your Best Bet to Avoid Colorectal Cancer?

Colon cancer is the third-most common type of cancer diagnosed in the United States. It is also the second leading cause for cancer-related deaths for both genders.¹

An estimated 106,180 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer by 2022. Another 44,850 will have rectal cancer. 52,580 of those were killed.² The average colorectal carcinoma risk for a lifetime is 1 in 23 (4.3%) for men and 1 to 25 (4%) in women.³

It is recommended that all men and women over 50 who are at average risk for colorectal cancer should be tested by:⁴

Even though there are several screening options available, most doctors will recommend colonoscopy. However, researchers found that most doctors do not thoroughly discuss all options with their patients, as well as the potential drawbacks and benefits. Most doctors choose to perform colonoscopy without consulting their patients.

Is Colonoscopy Your Best Choice?

The idea behind early detection of cancer is to lower your chances of dying. Recent research from The New England Journal of Medicine shows that it is possible to catch cancer early enough.⁶ Coloscopies can be very beneficial, but this is not the case.

While colonoscopies were found to lower a person’s risk of a colorectal cancer diagnosis by 18% at 10 years when performed in healthy people between the ages of 55 and 64, the risk of actually dying from colorectal cancer was not significantly reduced, and the all-cause mortality was barely affected at all.

To make it clear, colonoscopies do not reduce your chance of dying. They increase the likelihood of cancer being diagnosed by 18%. According to the authors:⁷

“In intention-to-screen analyses, the risk of colorectal cancer at 10 years was 0.98% in the invited group and 1.20% in the usual-care group, a risk reduction of 18% (risk ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI]0 to 0.93

Colorectal cancer death was at 0.28% for the invited group, and 0.3% in the usual-care group (risk ratio of 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.64 to 1.16). To prevent one colorectal carcinoma, 455 people needed to be screened (95% CI, 277 to 1429).

The risk of death from any cause was 11.03% in the invited group and 11.04% in the usual-care group (risk ratio, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.04).”

1 in 4 Colonoscopies Is Unnecessary

Another recent research⁸ One-quarter of all colonoscopies were unnecessary, according to research. The Lown Institute reports:⁹

“… many people are screened for cancer even though they are unlikely to benefit. Many elderly people are screened for cancer in nursing homes, even though it is unlikely that they will be harmed by surgery or treatment.

One 2014 study found that¹⁰ 40 percent of patients over 60 who are at very high risk of dying were screened for colorectal Cancer. Another large study found that 40% of patients with high mortality risk were screened for colorectal cancer.¹¹ More than half of those who were over the recommended age for screening reported having been screened.

How often do we give patients colonoscopies who are too young, too old, or had another screening too recently …? The first systematic review¹² of screening colonoscopy overuse, researchers … provide an estimate.

Six studies were examined, which included approximately 250,000 screening colonoscopies. The overall rate of overuse in these studies varied from 17% up to 25.7%.

With 6.3 million screening colonoscopies performed in the US each year (before COVID), at least one million — and as many as 1.6 million — are unnecessary. This means many people are at unnecessary risk of harm from potential colonoscopy complications such as bleeding, perforated bowels, and even death.”

When it comes to misuse of colonoscopies, the elderly are most at risk. They benefit the least from the screening and have the highest risk of adverse events, yet they’re also among the most heavily targeted groups for screening.

Side Effects and Drawbacks to Colonoscopies

It’s important to realize that colonoscopy is not a risk-free procedure. Colonoscopies can cause adverse reactions such as:

Infections caused by improperly disinfected scopes

The primary tools for screening for colon cancer include sigmoidoscopes, colonoscopes, and colonoscopes. These devices can’t be reused, so sterilize them after each use. This poses a significant problem that many patients do not know about.

Dr. David Lewis, a whistleblower microbiologist at the Environmental Protection Agency, says that about 80% endoscopes are cleaned with Cidex (glutaraldehyde). This fails to sterilize the tools properly, possibly allowing for the transmission of infectious material between patients.

Flexible endoscopes are made up of several parts. The first component is a long flexible tube with a small camera at its end. This allows doctors to see the inside of your colon. The tube has two internal channels: a biopsy channel as well as an air/water channel.

If the doctor sees evidence that a tumor is present, he/she can insert a small claw through the endoscope into the patient and grab a small piece of tissue. The biopsy channel will then pull it out. The doctor can clean out the lens of a camera by using the water/air channel.

The diameter of the air/water channel in comparison to the biopsy channel is smaller. This is where contamination is most likely to occur. While the biopsy channel can be scrubbed with a long toothbrush, the air/water channels are too small to fit a brush.

About 80% of the time, flexible endoscopes are simply submerged in a 2% glutaraldehyde solution (Cidex) for 10 to 15 minutes to disinfect them between patients, and this simply isn’t sufficient to clean out the air/water channel that’s been contaminated with tissue, blood and feces. This can cause the material to be flushed into the lungs of subsequent patients.

What’s worse, glutaraldehyde works like formaldehyde (it’s just a smaller molecule) so it basically preserves the tissue, allowing the trapped material to build up over time.

Peracetic Acid is used to clean the skin.

Doctors are using devices that are hard to clean. This is the problem. It is possible to save your life by knowing a safer cleaning method.

Around 20% of flexible endoscopes used in the U.S. are cleaned using peracetic acid instead of Cidex. Peracetic Acid (which is similar in taste to vinegar) can be used in organic chemistry labs for the dissolution of proteins. It is far more effective than glutaraldehyde.

If you feel the need to have a colonoscopy (or flexible sigmoidoscopy) performed, it is imperative that you call the office prior to the procedure to ensure they are properly disinfecting the scope with peracetic acid.

The reason most clinics use Cidex is because it’s cheaper. Even pennies per procedure add up when you’re doing them by the thousands each year, and hospitals are under pressure to save money wherever they can. However, when your health and life are at stake, saving pennies becomes inconsequential, and you’d be wise to forgo any hospital that still uses Cidex to clean their equipment.

How do you find out how a facility cleans its scopes? It is up to you to inquire. If you’re having a colonoscopy or any other procedure using a flexible endoscope done, be sure to ask:

• How are the endoscopes cleaned between patients.
• What cleaning agent is used specifically?
• How many colonoscopy patients were hospitalized because of infections?

You are less likely to get an infection from a former patient if the clinic or hospital uses peracetic acids. You should cancel your appointment if the answer is glutaraldehyde or Cidex. The answer to the third and final question is zero.

Aspirin: Surprisingly Good for Your Health

Interestingly, research has shown colonoscopies may be unnecessary if you’re taking daily aspirin. Researchers found that aspirin can be used to eliminate certain cancerous tumors like liver tumors.¹⁹

A systematic review and meta analysis published in 2017^20,21 The analysis also showed that aspirin was equally effective in preventing colorectal and proximal cancers as screening with flexible and sigmoidoscopy, FOBT. In fact, aspirin was more effective in preventing death from proximal colon cancer. The authors of the analysis reported:²²

“The effect of aspirin on colorectal cancer mortality was similar to FOBT and flexible sigmoidoscopy. In preventing or treating cancers in the proximal colon, aspirin was more effective that FOBT and flexible. Flexible sigmoidoscopy was more effective than FOBT in reducing the incidence of colorectal carcinoma. Aspirin was also equally effective in screening.

Conclusions: Low-dose aspirin is equally effective than flexible sigmoidoscopy, guaiac FOBT screening and lowers colorectal cancer mortality. It’s also more effective in treating cancers of the proximal colon. A randomized comparative effectiveness trial of aspirin vs. screening is warranted.”

A study has even been done²³ A 40% reduction in colon cancer mortality was observed in over 600,000.

A study from 2016²⁴ JAMA Oncology reported that aspirin use can prevent colorectal and other forms of cancer. Nearly 136,000 people were included in this study, who were followed for 32 year. The risk of getting gastrointestinal cancer by as much as 15% was reduced by taking either an 81 mg or 325 mg tablet twice a week. Colorectal cancer rates were cut by 19% and 15% respectively by taking either an 81 mg or 325 mg tablet once a week.

This is what could explain these results. There are many possible mechanisms that aspirin could be used to fight cancer.

• Aspirin is a prostaglandin inhibitor, which means it can be used to treat hormone imbalances that may contribute to the development of colorectal carcinoma.
• This can lower your iron which could be another risk factor for cancer.
• It is anti-inflammatory.
• It inhibits insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. Both of these risk factors are known to be cancer risk factors.

You should consider following this advice. It is possible to take one regular aspirin every day. This should be taken with your largest meal in order to minimize any damage to the stomach. Willow bark is a safer choice if you are taking blood thinners or are very sick.

Do Routine Colonoscopies Make Sense After 50?

I’m 68 and I’ve never had a colonoscopy and have no plans of ever getting one. While I believe they can be valuable in some circumstances, I feel confident that with my rigid avoidance of omega-6 LA and lifestyle it’s highly unlikely I would ever develop any cancer, let alone colon cancer. However, for those at high risk, colonoscopies could be beneficial.

You can also have flexible sigmoidoscopy done every five years. It’s similar to a colonoscopy, but uses a shorter and smaller scope, so it cannot see as far up into your colon. It’s associated with far fewer complications, but you still need to check with the hospital or clinic to make sure they’re using peracetic acid to clean the device.

Visual inspection is the best way to detect colon cancer. Your doctor can perform a colonoscopy. If you find polyps in the early stages of their development, your doctor will be able to remove them right away. A colonoscopy can be used as both a diagnostic tool and a surgical intervention. The colonoscopy takes a photo of the polyp and then captures it for biopsy. So, it could save your life, and it’s definitely something to consider.

But, it is important to avoid infection or complications by not using equipment that has been contaminated. So, please remember to make sure they’re using the proper cleaning solution. It may save your life.

Originally published December 28, 2022 on Mercola.com

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