In 2021, an advisory panel lowered the recommended age for when people should begin colon cancer screenings from 50 to 45. According to new data, there has since been a small but significant increase in screenings among younger people, according to an Oct. 3 report from CNBC.
Here are seven things to know about a decrease in colonoscopy age, according to an Oct. 3 study published in JAMA Network Open:
1. Colorectal cancer rates have been on the rise in people over 50 for the last two decades.
2. In 2018, the American Cancer Society recommended to start getting checked for colorectal cancer at 45.
3. Colorectal screening among 45 to 49 year olds increased threefold following the 2021 guideline change.
4. Researchers looked at more than 10 million people with Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance. On average, the researchers found colorectal screening rates among people ages 45 to 49 increased from around 0.5% before the 2021 guidelines to 1.5% a year and a half after the change.
5. Though 1% seems small, researchers noted that could encompass hundreds of thousands of people.
6. About 11% of colorectal cancer cases are diagnosed in people younger than age 50, or about 20,000 people.
7. The uptick in screening could be due to more widespread use of noninvasive colorectal cancer screening methods, such as Cologuard, a stool test that has a 92% accuracy rate, and, more recently, Shield, a blood test that detects colorectal cancer in 83% of patients.