Dear AuntMinnie Insider,
No one can say what the future of colon cancer screening holds, but the results of the National CT Colonography Trial, being conducted under the aegis of the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN), are sure to have an effect over the next several years.
Investigators are hopeful that respectable results will cement VC's place as a noninvasive tool for screening the general population, and lead to U.S. funding for the exam. If things don't pan out, reimbursement could once again be delayed. You'll find one radiologist's predictions in our Insider Exclusive story.
Indications are that gastroenterologists wouldn't mind a little help with the huge screening workload that an aging population is imposing on the U.S. healthcare system. Today's Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community features a prominent researcher who has worked with radiologists, as well as his colleagues in gastroenterology, to create a more inclusive screening future.
In a recent talk in San Francisco, Dr. David Lieberman from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland took on the subject of optical colonoscopy and mortality, weighing in on the effects of compliance, costs, and adverse events in researchers' efforts to find out if the exam really helps people live longer.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
