[Is flexible sigmoidoscopy as preventive measure for colorectal carcinoma in asymptomatic patients over 45 practicable?].

The efficacy of flexible sigmoidoscopy as a screening method for colorectal cancer is still undetermined, and a reduction in mortality due to this cancer by mass screening has not been demonstrated so far. An important precondition for the practicability of screening sigmoidoscopy is its acceptability by the persons to be screened. Acceptability was tested in 294 volunteers without abdominal symptoms from a general medical outpatients clinic. Mean age of participants was 58 years (45-86), 65% were men and 35% women. Sigmoidoscopy was judged harmless by 221 persons (75.1%), painful by 62 (21.1%), very painful by 11 (3.7%), and unacceptable by none. Every participant would have agreed to repeat the examination. In 36 patients 52 polyps were detected, comprising one carcinoma, 18 adenomas (in 15 patients), 32 hyperplastic polyps and one lipoma. We conclude that sigmoidoscopy was well accepted in this study and should be evaluated further as a mass screening method for colorectal cancer.