Screening Colonoscopy for Colon Cancer in Women during COVID-19 Pandemic

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the top three leading causes of death in both men and women. However, screening can help detect and prevent CRC. Multiple guidelines recommend CRC screening using stool-based screening and direct visualization via colonoscopy. Anatomically, women have a longer total...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Muhammad Begawan Bestari, Ignatius Ronaldi Joewono
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Interna Publishing 2021-03-01
Series:Acta Medica Indonesiana
Subjects:
Online Access:http://actamedindones.org/index.php/ijim/article/view/1620
_version_ 1819116525636812800
author Muhammad Begawan Bestari
Ignatius Ronaldi Joewono
author_facet Muhammad Begawan Bestari
Ignatius Ronaldi Joewono
author_sort Muhammad Begawan Bestari
collection DOAJ
description Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the top three leading causes of death in both men and women. However, screening can help detect and prevent CRC. Multiple guidelines recommend CRC screening using stool-based screening and direct visualization via colonoscopy. Anatomically, women have a longer total colonic length, especially in the transverse colon, which makes it redundant; thus it is more difficult to perform complete endoscopy in women. Women also have a higher risk of developing right-sided colon cancer of the flat and depressed type, which is harder to detect than the other types. Moreover, women are less likely to undergo colonoscopy due to embarrassment, especially when the procedure is performed by male gastroenterologists, and the lack of available female gastroenterologists further complicates the problem. The current COVID-19 pandemic also decreases patients’ willingness to undergo screening due to the fear of contracting the COVID-19. Delay in diagnosis leads to more advanced tumors upon detection and ultimately decreases the survival rate, especially in women, as they have lower 1-year survival rate when CRC is detected in its later stages than in men. Innovative options for CRC screening have recently emerged, including colon capsule endoscopy, which can be performed in a clinic and may reduce the need for colonoscopy. However, sex-specific CRC screening guidelines and tools are not available. The objective of this review is to identify the barriers and challenges faced when performing screening colonoscopy in women, especially during the pandemic and to encourage the development of sex-specific CRC screening.
first_indexed 2024-12-22T05:18:29Z
format Article
id doaj.art-469bcc0f51d348888f09f6ad1d17f835
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0125-9326
2338-2732
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-22T05:18:29Z
publishDate 2021-03-01
publisher Interna Publishing
record_format Article
series Acta Medica Indonesiana
spelling doaj.art-469bcc0f51d348888f09f6ad1d17f8352022-12-21T18:37:47ZengInterna PublishingActa Medica Indonesiana0125-93262338-27322021-03-01531427Screening Colonoscopy for Colon Cancer in Women during COVID-19 PandemicMuhammad Begawan Bestari0Ignatius Ronaldi Joewono1Division of Gastroenterohepatology Department of Internal Medicine Faculty of Medicine - University of Padjadjaran Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung - IndonesiaDivision of Gastroenterohepatology Department of Internal Medicine Faculty of Medicine - University of Padjadjaran Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung - IndonesiaColorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the top three leading causes of death in both men and women. However, screening can help detect and prevent CRC. Multiple guidelines recommend CRC screening using stool-based screening and direct visualization via colonoscopy. Anatomically, women have a longer total colonic length, especially in the transverse colon, which makes it redundant; thus it is more difficult to perform complete endoscopy in women. Women also have a higher risk of developing right-sided colon cancer of the flat and depressed type, which is harder to detect than the other types. Moreover, women are less likely to undergo colonoscopy due to embarrassment, especially when the procedure is performed by male gastroenterologists, and the lack of available female gastroenterologists further complicates the problem. The current COVID-19 pandemic also decreases patients’ willingness to undergo screening due to the fear of contracting the COVID-19. Delay in diagnosis leads to more advanced tumors upon detection and ultimately decreases the survival rate, especially in women, as they have lower 1-year survival rate when CRC is detected in its later stages than in men. Innovative options for CRC screening have recently emerged, including colon capsule endoscopy, which can be performed in a clinic and may reduce the need for colonoscopy. However, sex-specific CRC screening guidelines and tools are not available. The objective of this review is to identify the barriers and challenges faced when performing screening colonoscopy in women, especially during the pandemic and to encourage the development of sex-specific CRC screening.http://actamedindones.org/index.php/ijim/article/view/1620colorectal cancerscreening colonoscopywomencovid-19
spellingShingle Muhammad Begawan Bestari
Ignatius Ronaldi Joewono
Screening Colonoscopy for Colon Cancer in Women during COVID-19 Pandemic
Acta Medica Indonesiana
colorectal cancer
screening colonoscopy
women
covid-19
title Screening Colonoscopy for Colon Cancer in Women during COVID-19 Pandemic
title_full Screening Colonoscopy for Colon Cancer in Women during COVID-19 Pandemic
title_fullStr Screening Colonoscopy for Colon Cancer in Women during COVID-19 Pandemic
title_full_unstemmed Screening Colonoscopy for Colon Cancer in Women during COVID-19 Pandemic
title_short Screening Colonoscopy for Colon Cancer in Women during COVID-19 Pandemic
title_sort screening colonoscopy for colon cancer in women during covid 19 pandemic
topic colorectal cancer
screening colonoscopy
women
covid-19
url http://actamedindones.org/index.php/ijim/article/view/1620
work_keys_str_mv AT muhammadbegawanbestari screeningcolonoscopyforcoloncancerinwomenduringcovid19pandemic
AT ignatiusronaldijoewono screeningcolonoscopyforcoloncancerinwomenduringcovid19pandemic