A new study shows that removing polyps found during colonoscopies prevents deaths from colon and rectal cancer. Polyps are growths in the colon, some if which may turn into cancer.

Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center analyzed the records of 2,602 patients enrolled in the National Polyp Study, following them for as long as 23 years. They found that finding and removing non-cancerous polyps during colonoscopies resulted in 53% fewer deaths than would be expected from a group similar in race, age, and gender in the general population. The death rate of patients who had polyps removed was as low as in people who didn’t have any polyps at all.

The study, published in the Feb. 23, 2012 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, is the first to show that removing polyps prevents deaths from colon and rectal cancer. Previous studies have shown that removing polyps prevents these cancers from developing.

Read Article: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/news/removing-polyps-prevents-colon-and-rectal-cancer-deaths

Contact: MKK – Attorneys at Law:       1-877-NJLAW4U