Newswise — A unique procedure being offered at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago may become the benchmark to guide physicians in determining a patient's risk for colon cancer.
Using magnification endoscopy, doctors can see microscopic lesions of the colon not visible during a standard colonoscopy. The lesions may be an important biomarker for the development of colon cancer several years before polyps appear.
UIC is the only Illinois hospital with the technology to magnify the colon 70 times, using a combination of optical and digital magnification. The procedure, performed with a Fujinon endoscope, is offered at fewer than a dozen institutions worldwide.
Unlike standard colon cancer screening programs that rely on the detection and removal of polyps -- only 5 percent of which ever become cancerous -- magnification endoscopy allows a physician's trained eye to see microscopic lesions defined as aberrant crypt foci in the lining of the colon.
"We believe magnification endoscopy can become the gold standard for determining a patient's lifetime risk of developing colon cancer," says Dr. Richard Benya, associate professor of medicine and member of the UIC Cancer Center. "If we can identify patients who are not at risk for colon cancer, we can potentially save patients from additional testing and removal of polyps. The current standard of care for identifying, removing and testing polyps in everyone over 50 years old has an enormous impact on the cost of public health."
In animal studies, dysplastic (abnormally shaped and larger) aberrant crypt foci provide a relevant marker for colon cancer. While these lesions do not cause cancer, they are believed to be important in determining what area of the colon may be at higher risk for the development of cancer.
By identifying and quantifying the lesions in humans, physicians may provide patients with strategies to stave off cancer by recommending diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes to alter the lesions over time.
"We see no reason why patients cannot make positive changes in their life to prevent disease before it occurs," says Dr. Robert Carroll, assistant professor of medicine and a member of the UIC Cancer Center. He says that offering patients a complete nutritional and health evaluation along with magnification endoscopy gives them the ability "to change the number of aberrant crypt foci in the colon over time, and thereby lessen the likelihood of developing cancer."
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Risk factors include advancing age, a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or polyps, a low-fiber and high-fat diet, obesity, alcohol consumption and tobacco use. Screening for colorectal cancer is recommended for all adults beginning at age 50.
Patients undergoing magnification endoscopy at UIC will find the test similar to a standard colonoscopy. The procedure takes 30-40 minutes and patients are given anesthesia to ease any discomfort.
First, a new, improved technique developed by UIC physicians is used to prepare the colon. The tissue of the colon is washed and stained using a barium enema infused with methylene blue dye. Doctors then examine the rectum and colon using a standard colonoscope.
When this view is complete, the magnification lens is turned on to allow a more detailed look at the distal colon, where the majority of cancers occur.
Physicians create a digital movie of each procedure for later analysis.
For more information about the University of Illinois Medical Center, visit http://www.uillinoismedcenter.org
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