Diagnostic Yield of Flexible Sigmoidoscopy in Symptomatic Population: An Insight to Rapid Access Sigmoidoscopy Clinic
Worldwide the incidence of Colorectal Cancers is approximately one million per
year with an annual mortality approaching 5,00,000.1 Despite medical advances and
the high quality primary health care in Europe, the annual incidence is around 4,12,000 with
an annual mortality reaching 50 percent.
The Republic of Ireland has a similar trend with an annual incident rate of
close to 1,900 with an annual mortality of approximately 930 patients.
In the report published by GLOBOCAN in 2002, Ireland had the highest mortality rates in
Western European and the fourth worldwide.
Furthermore, the World Health Organisation has estimated that the number
of newly diagnosed colorectal cancers will increase by 79% in
males and 56% in females by 2020.
In response to these figures, the launch of a national colorectal screening program
is anticipated to start this year targeting patients between the age of 60-69
in its first phase until it finally involves a screening population between 55-74 years old.
Despite the high incidence of colorectal cancers and the intensive studies of the disease,
the early symptoms remain very vague resulting in 19-44% of patients presenting
with advanced disease and requiring emergency surgery.
Part of the delay in the diagnosis can be linked to the reluctance of patients and
primary care physicians to refer for endoscopy in secondary care centres.
The problem is further complicated by the universal delay to the index
outpatient review and colonoscopy.
Surg Res Open J. 2014; 1(1): 10-16. doi: 10.17140/SROJ-1-102
