Capsule endoscopy for screening colon tumors

Abstract

Introduction: Most of the colon tumors are detected in the later stages. The introduction of new, minimally invasive technologies into clinical practice allows to improve the results of the diagnosis of neoplasms. Material and methods: Capsule endoscopy is a procedure for colon examination using a miniature camera, which takes more than 10,000 images of colon at a speed of 4 to 24 frames per second. For the patient, the procedure itself does not cause discomfort. On the day of the study, the patient may do his usual activities. The indications for capsular examination of the colon may be suspected tumor of the colon, a positive test of fecal occult blood test, and the patient is over 50 years old. We made a decision to launch a pilot project for screening the colon among health care workers in Oncology Dispensary of Leningrad Region. Results: In the years 2017-2018, we performed 67 capsule colon examinations for medical workers who had not previously performed a colonoscopy. A total colon investigation was performed in 58 patients (87%). Among these patients 2 malignant tumors of the colon (3.5%) were detected. Colon epithelial neoplasia was detected in 11 patients (19%). These findings contributed to perform colonoscopy with endoscopic polypectomy. Conclusion: Capsule endoscopy of the colon can be used for examination, in cases where colonoscopy is not possible. Capsule endoscopy helps to convince the patient of the need to perform colonoscopy. Capsule endoscopy is a safe method for screening colorectal cancer.