Colorectal cancer screening lecture: Chin Hur

Dr. Chin Hur, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center, gave a talk on cost-effective analysis and colon cancer screening to students and faculty at the School of Medicine at the University of Tunis on Thursday, October 20. Zainab Aziz, a fourth-year medical student at Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Dr. Hur’s research mentee, joined him in presenting some of their research group’s work.

Dr. Hur is a gastroenterologist interested in the intersection of population science, cancer screening and
control, and cost-effectiveness. At his talk on Thursday, he began by describing the epidemiology of cancer in Tunisia, compared to both North Africa and Worldwide cancer rates. He spoke specifically on the burden of colon cancer in Tunisia, and how current numbers are expected to increase in coming years. Dr. Hur’s talk then shifted to the progression of colon cancer, and how the ability to detect pre-cancerous polyps allows colonoscopy to be an effective tool for colon cancer screening. Liquid Biopsy, or blood-based cancer screening tests, were also introduced as a possible tool for screening for colon cancer.

Lastly, Zainab Aziz presented the results of a cost-effective analysis on the potential use of Liquid Biopsy as a colon cancer screening method for patients non-adherent to colonoscopy.