Study finds CT colon checks outweigh risk

The benefits of colon cancer screening with virtual colonoscopy far outweigh the risk of radiation, even when the exam is repeated every five years between the ages of 50 and 80, concludes a new study in the April issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

"The benefits from screening every five years from the age of 50 to 80 were estimated to clearly outweigh the radiation-related cancer risks," the authors wrote. "Inclusion of the radiation-related risk from CT examinations performed to follow up extracolonic findings did not materially alter these findings."

"Concerns have been raised about recommending CTC as a routine screening tool because of potential harms including the radiation risks," the authors wrote. "Based on these models, the benefits from CTC screening every five years from the age of 50 to 80 years clearly outweigh the radiation risks."