July 2005 Colon Cancer Screening Ning Tang, HMS IV
Objectives Background on incidence and death rates from colon cancer Present recent patient cases of colon cancer, and the radiographic findings Discuss current recommendations for colon cancer screening Present modalities for colon cancer screening, focusing on modalities that involve the radiology department 2
2005 Estimated US Cancer Cases* Prostate 33% Lung and bronchus 13% Colon and rectum10% Urinary bladder 7% Melanoma of skin 5% Non-Hodgkin 4% lymphoma Kidney 3% Leukemia 3% Oral Cavity 3% Pancreas 2% All Other Sites 17% Men 710,040 Women 662,870 32% Breast 12% Lung and bronchus 11% Colon and rectum 6% Uterine corpus 4% Non-Hodgkin lymphoma 4% Melanoma of skin 3% Ovary 3% Thyroid 2% Urinary bladder 2% Pancreas 21% All Other Sites *Excludes basal and squamous cell skin cancers and in situ carcinomas except urinary bladder. Source: American Cancer Society, Cancer Statistics 2005 Presentation. 3
2005 Estimated US Cancer Deaths* Lung and bronchus 31% Prostate 10% Colon and rectum10% Men 295,280 Women 275,000 27% Lung and bronchus 15% Breast 10% Colon and rectum Pancreas 5% Leukemia 4% Esophagus 4% Liver and intra- 3% hepatic bile duct Non-Hodgkin 3% Lymphoma Urinary bladder 3% Kidney 3% All other sites 24% 6% Ovary 6% Pancreas 4% Leukemia 3% Non-Hodgkin lymphoma 3% Uterine corpus 2% Multiple myeloma 2% Brain/ONS 22% All other sites ONS=Other nervous system. Source: American Cancer Society, Cancer Statistics 2005 Presentation. 4
Patient 1: EJ 80 yo woman with PMH significant for htn,, GERD, CVA March 2005: Presents to ER with bilateral lower quadrant, crampy abdominal pain x 2-32 3 months initially infrequent, now occurring at least 5-105 times per day for the past week not related to eating + flatus, nausea, vomiting (white foamy vomiting) last bowel movement was approximately 4 days ago 5
Patient 1: EJ PSH: C-section, C hysterectomy PE: afebrile,, HR 110, BP 196/95 hypoactive bowel sounds, abd mildly distended and diffusely tender, worse in RLQ and suprapubic region. no rebound or guarding, guaiac negative. Abdominal CT scan ordered in ED 6
Patient 1: EJ Thickened bowel wall Small bowel loops normal in caliber No bowel wall pneumatosis Mural calcifications on aorta No free air in abdomen Courtesy of Jimmy Kang, MD Multiple small retroperitoneal lymph nodes, do not meet criteria for pathologic enlargement 7
Patient 1: EJ Transition point Wall thickening Courtesy of Jimmy Kang, MD 8
Patient 1: EJ Diffuse dilation of colon, most prominent in ascending, transverse, and segments of descending colon and sigmoid colon * * * Courtesy of Jimmy Kang, MD 9
Patient 1: EJ Diffuse dilation of colon, most prominent in ascending, * transverse, and segments of descending colon and sigmoid colon * Courtesy of Jimmy Kang, MD 10
Differential Diagnosis of Focal Sigmoid Colitis/narrowing Ischemic colitis (24% sigmoid) Inflammatory bowel disease Diverticulitis Infectious colitis NSAID-induced colitis Colonic carcinoma Radiation-induced induced colitis at this point the differential is quite broad, direct visualization was recommended 11
Patient 1: EJ Portable abdominal plain film taken the next day confirmed dilated loops of large bowel, cecum measures approximately 10 cm. No evidence of megacolon Courtesy of Jimmy Kang, MD 12
Patient 1: EJ Single-contrast gastrograffin enema conducted on the following day showed complete obstruction in the midsigmoid colon. Filling defect in the lumen suggests a mass. Courtesy of Jimmy Kang, MD 13
Patient 1: Hospital Course Based on the mid-sigmoid obstruction seen on the enema study, surgeons deemed that EJ would require a sigmoid resection. Intra-Op: The ascending, transverse, and descending colon were all dilated and thickened. A mass lesion was palpated in the distal sigmoid. There was no evidence of extra colonic spread within the abdominal cavity. Pathology: 4cm x 3.6cm high-grade grade adenocarcinoma, invades through the muscularis propria into the subserosa,, with no lymph node involvement. Margins clear. 14
Patient 2: MM 67 y.o.. woman p/w a 3-month 3 history of abdominal pain, weight loss, and rectal bleeding Never been screened for colon cancer The patient was referred for computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen with integrated CT colonography. 15
Patient 2: MM Low-attenuation, peripherally enhancing lesion in liver, consistent with metastasis (black arrow) Constricting lesion in distal transverse colon (white arrow) Courtesy of Vassilios Raptopoulos, MD 3-D reconstruction (virtual aircontrast enema) shows applecore-like constriction 16
Patient 2: MM Panel A: endoluminal 3-D CT colonoscopy shows the overlapping distal edge of a lesion consistent with colon cancer. Panel B: photograph of the lesion from colonoscopy. Courtesy of Vassilios Raptopoulos, MD 17
Patient 2: MM MM was admitted for transverse colectomy and excision of liver metastasis. Pathology showed Stage IV adenocarcinoma of the colon. The patient received chemotherapy after surgery, and has been doing well. 18
For both of these patients, screening might have picked up the lesions earlier. Unfortunately, compliance with screening is poor. In 2/3 of patients, the initial diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is made after the onset of symptoms Up-to-date, Screening for colorectal cancer 19
Screening Statistics The percentage of people aged 50 or older who reported receiving fecal occult blood testing within 12 months was 19.4 percent in 1997 23.5 percent in 2001 The percentages who reported lower endoscopy within five years were 29.9 percent in 1997 38.7 percent in 2001 Source: CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 20
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines (2002) Screen men and women aged 50 and older who are at average risk for CRC Higher risk patients (first-degree relative dx with CRC before age 60) should begin screening at a younger age. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Recommendations and Rationale. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, July 2002. 21
Incidence of CRC with age Up-to-date, Screening for colorectal cancer 22
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines (2002) Screening options include: Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) Flexible sigmoidoscopy Colonoscopy Double-contrast barium enema. There is insufficient data to determine which screening strategy is best. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Recommendations and Rationale. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare are Research and Quality, July 2002. 23
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines (2002) Regardless of which screening method is used, CRC screening is cost effective costing less than $30,000 per additional year of life gained Choice of screening method should be based upon patient preferences, medical contraindications, patient adherence, and available resources for testing and follow-up. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Recommendations and Rationale. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, July 2002. 24
Menu of Tests Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Double-Contrast Barium Enema Colonoscopy Virtual Colonoscopy (CT) 25
Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) Guaiac-based test cards are prepared at home by patients from three consecutive stool samples and forwarded to clinicians. RCTs show mortality reductions from 15% to 33% from periodic FOBT screening Intended to pick up early malignancy: large adenomas rarely bleed American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends screening annually U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Recommendations and Rationale, July 2002. Glick, S. AJR 2000;174:1529-37. 26
Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Can only visualize the lower half of the colon 75-80% only visualize up to sigmoid, identifying only 30-40% of lesions If visualize up to splenic flexure, identify only 40-50% of lesions Small risk of perforation Screening with fecal occult blood testing and flexible sigmoidoscopy has been shown to reduce mortality from colorectal cancer ACS recommends screening every 5 years U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Recommendations and Rationale, July 2002. Glick, S. AJR 2000;174:1529-37. 27
Double Contrast Barium Enema The radiologic means of total colonic examination Liquid barium and air is insufflated in colon via rectum Can pick up Ulcers Strictures Polyps Diverticula Cancer Other abnormalities ACS recommends screening every 5 years 28
Barium Enema Pros No sedation is needed. Complications, such as perforation of the colorectal wall, are slight. Less costly than colonoscopy. Cons The test may miss small polyps or sometimes even small cancers. Biopsy and polyp removal cannot be done during testing colonoscopy. Bowel prep can be uncomfortable 29
Lesions found on barium enema Pedunculated polyp Sessile polyp (white arrows) Iyer RB et al. AJR 2002;179:3-13. Glick, S. AJR 2000;174:1529-37. 30
Lesions found on barium enema 3.5 cm flat discoid filling defect (white arrows) Apple-core lesion in sigmoid colon Glick, S. AJR 2000;174:1529-37. Iyer RB et al. AJR 2002;179:3-13. 31
Colonoscopy Colonoscopy is the most sensitive (90%) and specific test for detecting cancer and large polyps, but is associated with higher risks. Bleeding Perforation Diagnostic and therapeutic benefits ACS recommends screening every 10 years Preferred screening strategy by American College of Gastroenterology U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Recommendations and Rationale, July 2002. 32
Virtual Colonoscopy Non-invasive procedure for producing images of the colonic lumen Requires bowel prep similar to colonoscopy, followed by installation of air or carbon dioxide through a rectal tube No need for sedation Multidetector helical CT scanner used to construct high- resolution 2-2 and 3-dimension 3 images Exam can be performed in 10-15 15 minutes Small and flat polyps less well visualized than cancers and large polyps U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Recommendations and Rationale, July 2002. 33
Patient 2: MM Endoluminal 3-D CT colonoscopy shows the overlapping distal edge of a lesion consistent with colon cancer. Courtesy of Vassilios Raptopoulos, MD 34
Virtual Colonoscopy: Evidence In research studies, sensitivity for CT colonography varied from 21% to 96% Overall, specificity was more consistent ~ 86% Sensitivity and specificity increased with polyp size (94% & 96% for polyps > 1cm) But based on ideal conditions of bowel prep, software, method of interpretation, and training. In community practice, sensitivity drops to 55% Cotton et al. JAMA. 2004;291:1713-19. Mulhall, BP et al. Ann Intern Med. 2005; 142: 635-50. Pickhardt et al. NEJM. 2003;349:2191-200. 35
Virtual Colonoscopy: Unanswered Questions If a lesion <1cm is found, does it need to be removed immediately, or can it be followed over time? If lesion should be removed, can radiologists and gastroenterologists coordinate to perform colonoscopy immediately while bowel prepped? Is virtual colonoscopy cost-effective? Absolute cost of virtual colonoscopy ($478) is less than colonoscopy ($728), but cost per year-of of-life-saved is less for colonoscopy (factors in sensitivity, specificity, patient adherence, etc.). No consensus yet on role of virtual colonoscopy in colon cancer screening Morrin MM et al. Lancet. 1999;354:1048-9. Ransohoff, DF. JAMA. 2004;291:1772-4. 36
Patient 3: DG 70 y.o.. man w/cad s/p CABG, htn, hypercholesterolemia, and CVA Colonoscopy done at VA hospital, 1/2004. friable fungating 4 cm mass in the right colon in the opposing wall of the ileo-cecal valve. The mass was biopsied, but not removed. Biopsy of the mass demonstrated adenoma of the ascending colon, with hyperplasia of regional lymph nodes. Patient was admitted to BIDMC for laparoscopic right colectomy,, 4/2004. 37
Patient 3: DG Pedunculated polyp Courtesy of Vassilios Raptopoulos, MD 38
Patient 3: DG Pedunculated polyp Courtesy of Vassilios Raptopoulos, MD 39
References American Cancer Society. Cancer Statistics 2005 Presentation. From http://www.cancer.org/docroot/pro/content/pro_1_1_cancer_ Statistics_2005_Presentation.asp, accessed on July 19, 2005. Cotton et al. Computed tomographic colonography (virtual colonoscopy): a multicenter comparison with standard colonoscopy for detection of colorectal neoplasia. JAMA. 2004;291:1713-19. Glick, S. Double contrast barium enema for colorectal cancer screening: a review of issues and a comparison with other screening alternatives. AJR 2000;174:1529-37. Iyer RB et al. Imaging in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of colorectal cancer. AJR 2002;179:3-13. 40
References (2) Morrin MM et al. Virtual colonoscopy: a kinder, gentler colorectal cancer screening test? Lancet. 1999;354:1048-9. Mulhall, BP et al. Metal-analysis: computed tomographic colonography. Ann Intern Med. 2005; 142: 635-50. Pickhardt et al. Computed tomographic virtual colonoscopy to screen for colorectal neoplasia in asymptomatic adults. NEJM. 2003;349:2191-200. Ransohoff, DF. Colon cancer screening in 2005: status and challenges. Gastroenterology 2005; 128:1685-95. Ransohoff, DF. Virtual Colonoscopy what it can do vs what it will do. JAMA. 2004;291:1772-4. Rubin, E. M. et al. The virtual apple core of a colonic carcinoma. NEJM 2005;352:2733 41
References (3) Up-to to-date. Screening for colorectal cancer. April 26, 2005. www.uptodate.com.. Accessed on July 19, 2005. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Recommendations and Rationale. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, July 2002. Zalis,, ME et al. CT colonography reporting and data system: a consensus proposal. Radiology. 2005;236:3-9. 42
With Special Thanks To Jimmy Kang, MD Vassilios Raptopoulos,, MD Larry Barbaras, our Webmaster Pamela Lepkowski 43