The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or USPTF has given recommendations that adults with average risk of contracting colon cancer should start screening early at 45 years instead of waiting till 50 years. These findings were published in the May issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
The updated recommendations hold importance in the backdrop of new research showing the benefits of lowering the screening age from 50 to 45 years. These include more life years gained in adults with average risk compensating the smaller risks like bleeding and perforations of colonoscopy procedures. One understands average risk as a person with no before colon cancer diagnosis or having a family history of genetic disorders that may put him/her at risk for colon cancer.
Colon cancer is the third most cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States and that is why the recommendations of the USPTF hold much importance. Till now, colon cancer was mostly found to be affecting people aged between 65 and 74 years but lately, studies have shown that nearly 10 percent of the cancer occurs in people aged below 50.
According to latest studies, emergence of colorectal cancer in adults between 40 to 49 years has increased by almost 15 percent from 2000-2002 to 2014-2016. In 2016, almost 26 percent of US men and women have not had a colon cancer screening and this number has jumped to 31 percent in 2018.
Early screening goes a long way in saving lives in the case of colon cancer as it is one of the most preventable forms of cancers due to easy availability of screening tests that can catch precursors of the disease, in the form of polyps before it becomes life-threatening. It is therefore in the backdrop of such situations that early screening below the age of 50 has now been recommended.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Health News
December 12, 2025 15:14 ET Central bank decisions dominated the economic news flow this week led by the Federal Reserve. Trade data from the U.S. also gained attention. The Canadian and Swiss central banks also announced their interest rate decisions. Inflation data from China was in focus as the country released the latest consumer price and producer price data.