Study suggests delaying colonoscopy surveillance is safe

An international study published in ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’ suggests that delaying the first surveillance colonoscopy by three to five years after the removal of advanced adenomas does not increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer or dying from the disease.

The European Polyp Surveillance Trial (EPoS), which began in 2015, included 10,799 patients with advanced adenomas from eight European countries. The research was led by Rodrigo Jover of the CIBER of Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD) and the Alicante Institute for Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), alongside Michael Bretthauer from the University of Oslo.

Currently, clinical guidelines recommend periodic surveillance colonoscopies for patients considered at higher risk after polyp removal. However, these procedures place a significant burden on healthcare systems and patients. In Spain, for example, over one million colonoscopies are performed annually, with 10% to 20% being follow-up procedures.