抽象的な

Role of CT colonography in screening programs

Daniele Regge, Giovanni Galatola, Cristiana Laudi and Gabriella Iussich

Colorectal cancer kills 210,000 persons every year in Europe, its average incidence is 50 in 100,000 people/year, and the average lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 5%. Treatment of colorectal cancer imposes a huge economical burden. The individual direct cost for treating colon cancer early is approximately €20,000. One course of chemotherapy using new combination regimens costs approximately €23,000, and caring for one patient with late-stage colorectal cancer costs approximately €80,000. Prevention of colorectal cancer is possible, and widespread implementation of CT colonography can reduce colorectal cancer incidence and mortality by up to 90%. Advances in technology have provided us with CT colonography, an effective test for imaging the colon, that may represent a formidable prevention tool, and be well accepted owing to its minimal invasiveness. This article gives an outline of the epidemiology and the available prevention strategies for colorectal cancer, illustrates the progress in CT colonography development, and discusses future perspectives.