The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the US market of tablets facilitating the cleansing of the intestines for a colonoscopy, essential for screening for colorectal cancer.
- Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers (third in men and second in women) and is the second leading cause of cancer death
- The Sutab solution is not yet marketed in France
- Colonoscopy involves inserting a flexible tube, on the end of which is a camera, into the rectum
For some people, having to empty their bowels is often the biggest barrier to colorectal cancer screening. However, the preliminary cleaning of the colon is essential for the identification of polyps, often precursors of cancer..
Since 1984, nothing had been found better than the Golytely treatment which had replaced laxatives like castor oil. It consists in drinking 4 liters of a powder for oral solution with a disgusting taste and allowing the patient to pass “three days of torture [avec des laxatifs avant une coloscopie, ndlr] at half past threeexplains gastroenterologist Jack Di Palma, a professor at the University of Medicine of Alabama, Washington Post.
Less bad taste
The FDA’s approval last year of a pill-based alternative called Sutab is therefore good news: “The great thing about the Sutab is that it removes the question of taste“says Douglas K. Rex, professor emeritus of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.”You’re still going to have to sit on the toilet, but not having to drink something that tastes horrible is a big plus.“
Sutab consists of taking 24 tablets: 12 tablets the day before and 12 the next day, a few hours before the operation. Patients should always drink plenty of water, a total of 1.5 liters the first day and 1.5 liters the next day, but at least the water is tasteless.
Other options for internal colonoscopy exist, such as screenings to be carried out at home using a stool sample, but it must be done more regularly, as explained by oncologist Arif Kamal, from Duke University: “The operation must be repeated every two to three years, compared to seven to ten years for an internal colonoscopy.”
sodium sulphate
These new Sutab pills should not be confused with older pills, made primarily of sodium phosphate, which the FDA found in 2006 to cause severe kidney damage in some patients. Although still on the market, the old pills are rarely used today, experts say.
“The new tablets contain sodium sulphate and are safe”says Rex, who emphasizes that patients should always drink the recommended amounts of water to avoid dehydration.
