More people undergoing colonoscopy in New York City

The number of New York City residents 50 and older who have undergone a colonoscopy has risen by about 50 percent in five years, according to a survey conducted by the city from 2003 through 2007. The gains were credited to the work of a group of physicians, insurers, union workers, hospital administrators and city health officials called the New York Citywide Colon Cancer Control Coalition. The coalition emphasizes that a colonoscopy should be performed once every 10 years for anyone 50 or older without a family history or other heightened risk factor for colon cancer, and more often for those who have those risk factors.