John Plahovinsak
Starting in December of 2022, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) placed 115 Artificial Intelligence (AI) devices in over forty (40) VA facilities across the Nation.
The purpose of these AI devices was to assist the VA physicians in detecting polyps during routine colonoscopies. Polyps are pre-cancerous growths. Early polyp detection is important for preventing Colorectal Cancer (CRC), which is the second leading cause of cancer deaths.
CRC is one of the most diagnosed cancers for veterans and, if detected early through regular screening, the veteran’s risk of dying from CRC decreases dramatically.
There are approximately 50,000 new cancer cases in veterans reported every year. As the veteran population continues to age, this number will increase. This is an unexpected risk of military service.
In addition to exposure to Agent Orange, numerous veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have developed colorectal cancer from inhaling the acrid fumes released by the open burn pits.
The VA will begin a formal evaluation of the deployed AI devices used during colonoscopies since December of 2022. The evaluation will compare precancerous polyp detection rates and other measures of colonoscopy quality with VAMC facilities that used the AI devices to those that did not have AI devices installed.
Over 38,000 VA colonoscopies have already been performed at the forty (40) VA facilities outfitted with AI devices since their deployment beginning in December of 2022.
“I’m excited that we have AI devices becoming available at VA facilities, demonstrating VA’s commitment to best-in-class, innovative care,” said Doctor Jason Dominitz, the VA National Executive Director of Gastroenterology.
“I will look forward to evaluating the results of our initial development so we can assess whether to install this technology more broadly across the Nation in pursuit of our goal to detect more polyps and prevent veterans from developing cancer,” concluded Dr. Dominitz.
The VA performs nearly 300,000 colonoscopies each year. Research has validated that VA’s procedures in performing colonoscopies attain a level of quality that exceeds nationally established benchmarks.
Physicians at VA facilities have a proven success record in finding pre-cancerous polyps with an average rate of forty-six (46%) percent, which is well above the standard benchmark of thirty (30%) percent for colonoscopy in men in the general population.
Veterans should be aware of the symptoms and signs associated with CRC in order to know when a colonoscopy should be requested from the VA.
The most prominent sign of CRC is blood in the stool. This occurs because when tumors form, they often bleed and the resulting blood passes through and out of the body.
Other possible signs of CRC are inconsistent bowel movements; sudden anemia; severe abdominal pain; sudden weight loss; and regular and involuntarily vomiting.
Although experiencing just one of the above symptoms associated with CRC can be common, prolonged, or intense activity associated with several of these symptoms can be an indication that the veteran should contact their primary physician at the VA.
The VA is currently contributing to the Cancer Moonshot, which was re-introduced by President Joseph Biden in early 2022. The goal is to reduce the cancer death rate by half within twenty-five (25) years and improve the lives of people with cancer and cancer survivors.
By focusing on areas of cancer research that are most likely to benefit the American people as a result of new investments, such as AI, the Cancer Moonshot has brought together a large community of patients, advocates, researchers, and clinicians who are dedicated to advancing research to end cancer as we know it.
My Opinion: The VA suggests having a colonoscopy before the veteran turns forty-five (45) years old. This will establish a “bench mark” for subsequent colonoscopes in the future.
However, if the veteran is experiencing one or more of the possible signs of colorectal cancer that were cited in this article, the veteran should schedule a colonoscopy with the VA as soon as possible. Early detection of CRC is the key for surviving and combating this illness.
The actual medical procedure for a colonoscopy at the VA is not bad at all. However, the preparation two (2) days before the medical procedure is, to me, very unpleasant. I had a colonoscopy at the VA in June of 2023, as part of my regular medical regiment.
Since I experienced one of the signs of CRC recently, I contacted the VA and they scheduled a colonoscopy at the VAMC Cincinnati within sixty (60) days. Several polyps were found and quickly removed. The polyps were sent to the VA laboratory and found to be non-malignant.
Anything that veterans do to safeguard their own health should be done. Especially those veterans exposed to Agent Orange, the open burn pits of Afghanistan and Iraq and any other hazardous material.
The VA should be commended by introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help detect the polyps that cause CRC. If it only helps one (1) veteran to preventing CRC, then the AI device is well worth being used.
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a retired 32-year Army veteran, who served from 1967 to 1999. He is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio Hospital Chairman and is at: plahovinsak@msn.com.