RATIONALE: Computed tomographic colonography may be a less invasive diagnostic procedure than colonoscopy for detecting colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well computed tomographic colonography detects colorectal polyps or cancer.

Condition	Treatment or Intervention
Colon Cancer Rectal Cancer	Procedure: colonoscopy  Procedure: computed tomography  Procedure: diagnostic test

Further Study Details: 

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the optimal computed tomographic colonography (CTC) regimen for the detection of colorectal polyps or cancer.
• Determine the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of CTC.
• Compare the strengths and weaknesses of CTC vs colonoscopy.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo computed tomographic colonography (CTC) followed by standard colonoscopy. CTC and colonoscopy are performed on the same day, whenever possible or within 1 week. Patients who do not tolerate colonoscopy undergo barium enema study. A comparison is made between the findings from CTC and colonoscopy (or barium enema study, if necessary).

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 235 patients will be accrued for this study.

Ages Eligible for Study:  18 Years and above,  Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Patients who are undergoing work up for suspected colorectal polyp or neoplasm and who are scheduled to undergo colonoscopy for any of the following indications:
• Occult bleeding
• Iron deficiency anemia
• Persistent change in bowel habits
• Polyps found during sigmoidoscopy
• Strong family history
• Prior adenomatous polyps
• No toxic colitis, acute colitis, diverticulitis, peritonitis, bowel obstruction, or inflammatory bowel disease
• No active rectal bleeding with or without hemodynamic instability
• Patients must have undergone standard barium enema or colonoscopy bowel preparation prior to study
• Colon must be thoroughly cleaned or have minimal amount of stool

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age:

• Over 18

Performance status:

• Not specified

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Not specified

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Not specified

Cardiovascular:

• No recent myocardial infarction

Pulmonary:

• No recent pulmonary embolus

Other:

• No inability to tolerate sedation
• No adverse reaction to anxiolytics

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy

• Not specified

Chemotherapy

• Not specified

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• Not specified

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• See Disease Characteristics

Illinois
      Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University, Chicago,  Illinois,  60611,  United States

Study chairs or principal investigators

Frank Miller, MD,  Study Chair,  Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center   

Study ID Numbers:  CDR0000067727; NU-99I5; NCI-G00-1736; NCT00005789
Record last reviewed:  April 2005
Last Updated:  April 5, 2005
Record first received:  June 2, 2000
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00005789
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-04-08