Viewing Colon Cancer Up Close With Camera Technology
Over 146,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer every year, and the further it spreads before detection, the less chance a patient will reach the five year survival mark. As medical technology improves, we are able to find and stop cancer earlier than ever before. One of the most recent innovations is the use of a Colon Camera to see what more invasive methods can miss.
Cameras are now being widely used in the medical field. They’re relatively inexpensive, less bulky than hauling around testing machines, and make patients more comfortable. More health professionals can be trained to differentiate cancerous cells from healthy ones, allowing a larger number of people to be tested. The Colon Camera promises to be an idea that drives down health care costs and saves lives.
It also has positive implications for global health treatment. The cameras and florescent dyes that help the cancer cells show up on the Colon Camera are inexpensive compared to other tests. In some countries, consistent access to electricity and other amenities, which we take for granted in the U.S., is a real problem. Doctors should not have to make a choice between plugging in a machine to test one patient, or keeping the lights on for a day so they can treat everyone. Now, with this camera technology, they won’t have to. A few batteries and some well-trained eyes will be all they need to save lives.