Colonoscopies save lives. Doctors push back against European study that casts doubt

A new European study grabbed headlines this week, as it seemed to question the efficacy of colonoscopies as a cancer screening tool. But U.S. physicians say there were big limits to that study. They cite more than a decade of research showing colonoscopies save lives. (lechatnoir/Getty Images)

The findings of a big European study published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week seemed to cast doubt on just how beneficial a colonoscopy is in preventing colorectal cancer, which is a leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. The results have generated a lot of controversy and buzzy headlines in the popular press — such as "Screening Procedure Fails to Prevent Colon Cancer Deaths in Large Study."

But that's not the whole story.