Risk factors and diagnostic strategies in colorectal cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health problem. The goal of this thesis was to investigate factors that influence the risk of developing CRC and to examine the clinical value of various diagnostic procedures to investigate the large bowel. Screening for adenomas is an effective way to reduce mortality from CRC. A significant number of polyps is missed during routine colonoscopy. The Third Eye Retroscope, abbreviated as Third Eye, provides an additional, retrograde view that is able to detect polyps behind folds and curves in the colon. In this thesis, we report that the risk of missing a lesion during colonoscopy without the Third Eye compared to colonoscopy with the Third Eye was more than 2.5 times higher for polyps (p