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.
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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has lowered the age for when adults should start screening for colon and rectal cancer from 50 to 45. Experts expect the move to save thousands of lives as more cases are flagged and treated at earlier stages of the disease.
Finalized recommendations published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association are an update to the task force s 2016 colorectal cancer screening recommendations to begin screenings at age 50 for asymptomatic adults at average risk.
The new recommendations state adults aged 45 to 75 have routine colorectal cancer screenings. Screenings for adults aged 76 and older should be done based on the individual patient s screening history and overall health status.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 by Rob Stein (NPR News)
This microscope image from the National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research shows human colon cancer cells with the nuclei stained red. Americans should start getting screened for colon cancer at age 45, according to new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
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Routine screening for colorectal cancer should begin at age 45 instead of 50, an influential panel is recommending.
Colorectal cancer screening age lowered to 45 from 50
Published
Colon cancer screenings should begin at age 45, not 50
Americans should start getting screened for colon cancer earlier, at age 45 instead of waiting until they re 50.
Americans should start getting screened for colorectal cancer earlier at age 45 instead of waiting until they’re 50, according to guidelines released Tuesday.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said it s time for the change because colorectal cancer increasingly is appearing in younger adults.
Colorectal cancer is one of the nation’s leading cancer killers, claiming about 50,000 lives a year. Overall, cases and deaths have inched down in recent years, thanks in part to screening tests that can spot tumors early or even prevent them by removing precancerous growths.