Screenings for Colon Cancer Should Now Start at 45, Task Force Says

Updated guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that patients start screening for colorectal cancer at age 45 instead of 50, reports Becker's Hospital Review . The task force urged persons 45 to 75 to be screened for the disease, and the guidance is applicable to all adults, regardless of symptoms, or personal or family history. The USPSTF classified the recommendation to start screening earlier as Grade B, signifying "high certainty that the net benefit is moderate or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial." USPSTF Vice Chair Michael Barry cited too few Americans undergoing screening, adding that "we hope that this new recommendation to screen people ages 45 to 49, coupled with our long-standing recommendation to screen people 50 to 75, will prevent more people from dying from colorectal cancer." The recommendations also advise making the decision of whether to screen older adults aged 76 to 85 on an individual basis. "Since the Affordable Care Act mandates that insurance companies cover preventative services with a Grade B or higher recommendation from the USPSTF with no copay, this screening should now be covered," said Heather Hampel at Ohio State University in Columbus.