The First Randomized Controlled Trial Re Colonoscopy

The First Randomized Controlled Trial Re Colonoscopy

Pamela A. Popper, President

Wellness Forum Health

For many years, I have been providing people with objective information about colonoscopy so that they could make informed decisions about it. Until very recently, there were no randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of population screening with colonoscopy for reducing the risk of colorectal cancer, death from colorectal cancer, or all-cause mortality. It’s hard to fathom how an invasive and risky procedure could become a standard recommendation for all adults ages 45 and older without any evidence showing that it was beneficial. Some public health organizations recognized this and responded accordingly. The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Healthcare updated its recommendations for colon cancer screening in 2016, advising against colonoscopy as a primary screening test due to lack of evidence.[1]

The reason most people agree to regular cancer screenings is because they have been told that doing so “saves lives.” But most people are not given accurate information BEFORE screening that addresses what is most important to them – reducing the risk of death; not just for the type of cancer that the screening test is designed to detect, but also all-cause mortality. There are risks associated with cancer screening, which range from turning healthy people into sick patients, to diminished quality of life or even death due to aggressive treatment. These risks should be considered when making a decision about screening. A 2016 paper that looked at the results of the most commonly recommended cancer screenings showed that none of them resulted in a reduction in all-cause mortality.[2]

During the last 15 years, the US Preventive Services Task Force has increased the recommended options for colorectal screening to include fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) and blood-based cancer screening for methylated DNA.[3] The USPSTF has also expanded the recommended ages for colorectal cancer screening to 45-70 years; previously it was ages 50-70 years.[4]

In 2016 a USPSTF evidence report stated that there were no colorectal cancer screening methods that reduce all-cause mortality. However, a reanalysis showed that flexible sigmoidoscopy slightly reduced all-cause mortality by three deaths per 1000 persons screened.[5]

Another 2016 article concluded that while blood-based screening might result in more people being screened (adherence to both invasive and noninvasive tests is low), these tests have little utility. The manufacturer of one of the tests proposed including a warning with the test stating that a negative result “does not guarantee absence of cancer” and that patients should still pursue other screening methods.[6] Translation: this test is useless and should never have been approved.

Finally, there is good news for patients who are concerned about colorectal cancer screening and struggling to figure out what to do as they try to reconcile the information included in this article with the pressure they receive from health professionals who insist that screening is necessary. The results of the first randomized controlled trial investigating colonoscopy are now available. This study included over 84,000 subjects, ages 55-64. The primary end point was risk of colorectal cancer and related death. The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The study design was excellent and resulted in significantly greater long-term follow-up due to the use of unique personal identification numbers which were linked to cancer registries and cause of death registries for all participants in each country.

The conclusions:

Point #1: Risk of colorectal cancer:

In order to prevent just one case of colorectal cancer, 455 people have to be screened.

Point #2: Risk of death from colorectal cancer:

Risk of death was 0.28% in the colonoscopy arm and 0.31% in the non-colonoscopy arm.

Point #3: Risk of all-cause mortality (death from any cause)

Risk in the colonoscopy arm was 11.03%; in the non-colonoscopy arm it was 11.04%

In other words, colonoscopy made no real difference in outcomes.[7]

An intention-to-screen analysis concluded that the risk of colorectal cancer for screened patients would be 0.98% as compared to 1.20% in the usual care group, a risk reduction of 0.22%. But even this miniscule risk reduction is not realistic since the assumption is that 100% of patients instructed to get a colonoscopy would comply. This is not currently the case in the U.S. – the compliance rate is only 70%.

Now we have data – from a well-designed trial. Colonoscopy does not reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer, dying from colorectal cancer, or all-cause mortality. There are risks associated with the procedure that include perforation of the colon. Add in the fact that almost everyone agrees that it is an unpleasant experience that involves drinking awful fluids to clean out the colon, taking time off from work or other activities for the procedure and recovery from it, and most people would just say “no.”

There are a few take home points:

  • Well-designed Randomized Controlled Trials should be performed BEFORE screening programs are instituted.
  • Screening often turns healthy people into patients who do not benefit from medical intervention.
  • Billions of dollars is spent on cancer screening tests every year. This money would be better spent on teaching people how to prevent cancer and other common degenerative diseases with diet and lifestyle change.

[1] https://canadiantaskforce.ca/guidelines/published-guidelines/colorectal-cancer/

[2] Prasad V, Lenzer J, Newman DH. “Why cancer screening has never been shown to “save lives” – and what we can do about it.” BMJ 2016;352:h6080

[3] Powell K, Prasad V. “Colorectal cancer screening at a younger age: pitfalls in the model-based recommendation of the USPSTF.” BMJ Evid Based Med 2022 Aug:27(4):206-208

[4] https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening#:~:text=The%20USPSTF%20expanded%20the%20recommended,was%2050%20to%2075%20years).

[5] Swartz AW, Eberth JM, Josey MJ, Strayer SM. “Reanalysis of All-cause Mortality in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force 2016 Evidence Report on Colorectal Cancer Screening.” Ann Intern Med 2017 Oct;167)8):602-603

[6] Parikh RB, Prasad V. “Blood-Based Screening for Colon Cancer. A Disruptive Innovation or Simply a Disruption?” JAMA 2016 Jun;315(23):2519-2520

[7] Bretthauer M, Loberg M, Wieszcry P et al. “Effect of Colonoscopy Screening on Risks of Colorectal Cancer and Related Death.” NEJMhttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2208375

How the CCP Collects DNA Data From Americans

How the CCP Collects DNA From Americans

Pamela A. Popper, President

Wellness Forum Health

On March 20, 2023, Roman Balmakov at Epoch Times reported that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is synonymous with the Chinese military, had developed a large-scale biowarfare program and that the Wuhan lab was just a small part of it. One of the most concerning aspects of this program is that it involves the collection of DNA from Americans. In fact, the CCP now has a larger collection of DNA from Americans than the U.S. does. Much of this DNA comes from a company called BGI, one of the largest makers of prenatal tests in the world. BGI has been sending data from pregnant women in 52 countries to the Chinese military, which, according to Balmakov, is using this DNA to develop a biological weapon that can target and attack DNA strands specific to certain racial and ethnic groups.[1]

This news piece caught my attention because I had posted an article covering BGI’s collection of genetic data from Americans for the CCP in February 2021. It appears that the CCP’s activities in this area have accelerated since then. Below is the piece that I wrote in 2021 which contains more detail about this program and its potentially terrifying consequences.

According to a fact sheet from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), China has been collecting healthcare data and DNA from Americans for a very long time.[2] One of the means for collecting this data has been through investing in American biotech companies and partnering with hospitals and universities.

In 2010, Chinese genetics company BGI received a $1.5 billion loan from the Chinese government-run China Development Bank for the purpose of expansion. The company entered the U.S. market and started its data gathering when it purchased California sequence-machine maker Complete Genomics for $118 million in 2013. BGI, along with other Chinese companies, has formed partnerships with American hospitals, university research centers, and research institutes.[3]

According to the NCSC fact sheet, the partnerships are welcomed by American institutions because they enable expanded research opportunities, “…while Chinese firms gain access to more genetic data on more diverse sets of people, which they can use for new medical products and services.”[4]  According to a 2019 report, at least 15 Chinese firms are licensed to perform genetic tests or sequencing in the U.S.[5]

Bill Evanina, a former top counterintelligence official and veteran of the FBI and CIA, warned in early 2021 that BGI was connected both to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and to its military and that the Chinese could collect, store, and exploit data collected from COVID-19 tests.[6]

What does the Chinese government do with this information? According to FBI Supervisory Special Agent Edward You, the Chinese are building a huge genomic database and are particularly interested in the U.S. population due to its ethnic diversity. The assumption is that the data base will be used to develop artificial intelligence and new personalized medicines.[7] One potential downside is that this could make the U.S. even more dependent on China for drugs and treatments. And some of the ways in which the CCP is already using artificial intelligence is frightening.

According to Sophie Richardson, director of the China program for Human Rights Watch, one of the ways in which the Chinese use artificial intelligence is to monitor the Uyghurs, a minority Muslim population. The Chinese use facial recognition software, surveillance cameras, WF-FI sniffers and other technology to constantly monitor the region in which these people live. The Uyghurs are forbidden to use their language, and to practice their religion. And they are subject to forced collection of DNA which is used both to target other family members and to further develop the CCP’s facial recognition software. Approximately one million Uyghurs have been arrested and jailed in camps in China, in part due to this program.[8]

In July 2020 the U.S. Department of Commerce sanctioned two subsidiaries of BGI for participating in Uyghur repression, and for collecting genetic information from the Uyghurs without consent.[9]

The COVID-19 debacle presented a great opportunity to accelerate data gathering. BGI Group aggressively promoted COVID-19 tests, and by August 2020 had sold 35 million rapid COVID-19 tests to 180 countries and built laboratories in 18 of them.[10]

In March 2020, when Washington State had only a few COVID-19 cases, BGI proposed in a letter to the state that it would build and operate COVID-19 testing labs and provide technical expertise, high throughput sequencers, and even to “make additional donations,” whatever that means. BGI’s proposal to build labs in Washington State, and five other states, was turned down after federal officials warned against the partnerships. But the tests and sequencing equipment are in use in the U.S. According to Evanina, the Chinese fetch the data electronically and give a copy back to the lab that houses the sequencing machines.

Additionally, according to both You and Evanina, China is the world’s leader in cyber hacking. In December 2020 John Ratcliffe, director of national intelligence, called China the number one national security threat to the U.S. due to the CCP’s theft of data and technology.[11]  Evanina says that 80% of American adults have had all of their personally identifiable information stolen by the CCP.[12]

Indeed, China has been caught stealing the healthcare data of Americans. In February 2015, Chinese hackers managed to hack the servers for health insurer Anthem and obtained the personal health data of over 78 million people.[13] According to Evanina, a major concern about this is that there are no private companies in China. Chinese laws actually require that companies like BGI must share their data with the government if asked to do so by the CCP. This means that all of the DNA data gathered on Americans by BGI through their COVID and other tests is, by extension, also the property of the Chinese government.[14]

This is very disconcerting. It is likely that any thinking person would feel uncomfortable knowing that personal DNA obtained through a COVID-19 test – or a computer hack – was in the possession of the CCP or any foreign government. And there is nothing that can be done about it. A demand from the U.S. to the CCP return the data without retaining copies is not likely to be made, and if made it is not likely to result in any response from the CCP.

The chance for your DNA to end up in the hands of one of the most dangerous regimes in the world is one more reason to refuse testing for COVID-19 and for anything else that is not absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, doctors’ offices and medical institutions have turned into data-gathering businesses that track your psychological health, your vaccination status, and now your DNA (see previous article on the use of ICD codes for data gathering).


[1] Roman Balmikov. China’s New DNA-Based Bioweapons Target Specific Ethnic Groups, Races/Facts Matter. Epoch TV March 20 2023.

[2] China’s Collection of Genomic and Other Healthcare Data From America: Risks to Privacy and U.S. Economic and National Security. Feb 2021 https://www.dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/SafeguardingOurFuture/NCSC_China_Genomics_Fact_Sheet_2021.pdf

[3] Cathy He. China is Collecting Americans’ DNA, Posing Major Security Risks: US Counterintelligence Agency. Epoch Times Feb 3 2021

[4] China’s Collection of Genomic and Other Healthcare Data From America: Risks to Privacy and U.S. Economic and National Security. Feb 2021 https://www.dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/SafeguardingOurFuture/NCSC_China_Genomics_Fact_Sheet_2021.pdf

[5] U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. China’s Biotechnology Development: The Role of U.S. and Other Foreign Engagement https://www.uscc.gov/research/chinas-biotechnology-development-role-us-and-other-foreign-engagement

[6] Jon Wertheim. China’s Push to Control Americans’ Health Care Future. 60 Minutes Jan 31 2021 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biodata-dna-china-collection-60-minutes-2021-01-31/

[7] Prepared Statement of Edward H. You, Supervisory Special Agent, Biological Countermeasures Unit, Countermeasures and Operations Section, Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate. Federal Bureau of Investigation. https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2018/10/19/ed_you_testimony_uscc.pdf

[8] Ibid

[9] Ibid

[10] Cathy He. China is Collecting Americans’ DNA, Posing Major Security Risks: US Counterintelligence Agency. Epoch Times Feb 3 2021

[11] Ibid

[12] Jon Wertheim. China’s Push to Control Americans’ Health Care Future. 60 Minutes Jan 31 2021 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biodata-dna-china-collection-60-minutes-2021-01-31/

[13] Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs. Member of Sophisticated China-Based Hacking Group Indicted for Series of Computer Intrusions, Including 2015 Data Breach of Health Insurer Anthem Inc. Affecting Over 78 Million People. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/member-sophisticated-china-based-hacking-group-indicted-series-computer-intrusions-including

[14] Jon Wertheim. China’s Push to Control Americans’ Health Care Future. 60 Minutes Jan 31 2021 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biodata-dna-china-collection-60-minutes-2021-01-31/