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(NEW YORK) An “alarming” rise in colorectal cancer cases among young people has led the United States Preventive Services Task Force to establish new guidelines. Medical experts are now officially recommending that people of average risk start getting screened for colon cancer at age 45, rather than 50, which was the previous standard.
The announcement Tuesday morning finalizes prior draft guidance last fall, and aligns with the American Cancer Society’s stance. It indicates a solidifying push for awareness, and underscores the urgency of better, more widespread screening amongst age groups that may not know they’re at risk.
Insurance coverage is directly tied to the task force’s new recommendations, in fact, experts noted that companies will now be required to cover such screenings.
Vanassa Sebastian woke up one morning in July with excruciating pain in her stomach.
As a certified registered nurse anesthetist, she sent her husband to the pharmacy to get medication for what she thought was constipation or bad gas. But by the time breakfast rolled around, the Connecticut mom was curled up on the couch crying from the pain.
Her daughter convinced her to go to the emergency room, where
after numerous tests, doctors found she was bleeding from a tumor inside her colon. At 49 years old, Sebastian was diagnosed with colon cancer.
She was shocked.
“I’m healthy, I’m young, I’m in really great shape, I eat healthy, I don’t have any risk factors,” she said. “I never thought, ‘They’re going to diagnose me with Stage 3 colon cancer’… It was never on my radar.”
By Bill Galluccio
May 18, 2021
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has lowered the recommended age for people to begin getting screened for colorectal cancer. The task force says that asymptomatic people who do not have a history of colon or rectal polyps or a family history of colorectal cancer should get screened when they turn 45.
The task force cited an alarming rise in cases of colorectal cancer in people under the age of 50. The number of cases in adults between the ages of 40 and 49 increased by almost 15% from 2000-2002 to 2014-2016. It s a major area of concern, and investigation theories abound, Dr.
USPSTF Final Recommendation on CRC Screening: 45 Is the New 50 medscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
May 18, 2021
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has lowered the recommended age for people to begin getting screened for colorectal cancer. The task force says that asymptomatic people who do not have a history of colon or rectal polyps or a family history of colorectal cancer should get screened when they turn 45.
The task force cited an alarming rise in cases of colorectal cancer in people under the age of 50. The number of cases in adults between the ages of 40 and 49 increased by almost 15% from 2000-2002 to 2014-2016. It s a major area of concern, and investigation theories abound, Dr.