PDQ (Physician Data Query)

Extract

PDQ (Physician Data Query) is the National Cancer Institute’s source of comprehensive cancer information. It contains peer-reviewed, evidence-based cancer information summaries on treatment, supportive care, screening, prevention, genetics, and complementary and alternative medicine. The summaries are regularly updated by six editorial boards. The following PDQ summaries were recently updated:

Littlejohn C, Hilton S, Macfarlane GJ, et al.: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence for flexible sigmoidoscopy as a screening method for the prevention of colorectal cancer. Br J Surg 99 (11): 1488–500, 2012. PMID: 23001715

Elmunzer BJ, Hayward RA, Schoenfeld PS, et al.: Effect of flexible sigmoidoscopy-based screening on incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS Med 9 (12): e1001352, 2012. PMID: 23226108

The PDQ Colorectal Cancer Screening summary was recently updated to include results from two systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (RTCs) that evaluated the effects of flexible sigmoidoscopy screening on the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer. Incidence and mortality findings have been reported from five RCTs. These trials are the Norwegian Colorectal Cancer Prevention (NORCCAP) trial; the Telemark trial in Norway; the United Kingdom trial; the SCORE trial in Italy; and the U.S. Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. Participants were aged 50 to 59 years in the Telemark trial, 55 to 74 years in the PLCO, and 55 to 64 years in the other three trials. Together, the trials enrolled 166,000 participants in the screened groups and 250,000 participants in the control groups. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 13 years. Sigmoidoscopy screening was associated with an overall 28% reduction in CRC mortality (RR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.65–0.80), an 18% reduction in CRC incidence (RR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.73–0.91), and a 33% reduction in the incidence of left-sided CRC (RR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.59–0.76). There was no effect on all-cause mortality. To review the summary, please use the following link: