The international surgical journal with global reach

This is the Scientific Surgery Archive, which contains all randomized clinical trials in surgery that have been identified by searching the top 50 English language medical journal issues since January 1998. Compiled by Jonothan J. Earnshaw, former Editor-in-Chief, BJS

Colorectal-cancer incidence and mortality with screening flexible sigmoidoscopy. N Engl J Med 2012; 366: 2345–2357.

Published: 4th January 2013

Authors: Schoen RE, Pinsky PF, Weissfeld JL, Yokochi LA, Church T, Laiyemo AO et al. et al.

Conclusion

Of 77,445 participants followed for a median of 11.9 years, those who had a baseline flexible sigmoidoscopy had a lower rate of subsequent colorectal cancer (relative risk 0.79, 95 per cent confidence interval 0.72 to 0.85, P<0.001), and a lower death rate from distal (0.5, 0.38 to 0.64, P<0.001) but not proximal colorectal cancer (0.97, 0.77 to 1.22, P=0.81).

Pubmed Link