Patients more than 75 years old may not benefit from colonoscopy screening, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers identified 1,355,692 patients between the ages of 70 and 79 years who were at average risk for colorectal cancer, some of whom were screened using colonoscopy and some of whom were not. The researchers divided the patients into two cohorts, those aged 70 to 74 years and those aged 75 to 79 years, to investigate the effectiveness and safety of the procedure on different age brackets.
Here's what you need to know:
1. Colonoscopy had a modest benefit in preventing colorectal cancer in patients aged 70 to 74 years; the eight-year colorectal cancer risk for the group with colonoscopy was 2.19 percent and the eight-year colorectal cancer risk for the group without colonoscopy was 2.62 percent.
2. Colonoscopy had an even smaller benefit in patients aged 75 to 79 years; the eight-year colorectal cancer risk for the group with colonoscopy was 2.84 percent and the eight-year colorectal cancer risk for the group without colonoscopy was 2.97 percent.
3. The 30-day risk for adverse events was 5.6 events per 1,000 colonoscopy patients in the 70 to 75 years group.
4. The 30-day risk for adverse events was still low, but greater, in the 75 to 79 years group; 10.3 adverse events per 1,000 colonoscopy patients.
Still, there are other criteria to consider, in addition to age. The American Cancer Society's vice president for cancer screening Robert Smith, who was not involved in the study, told HealthDay that patients more than 75 years old should consider their overall health and life expectancy when deciding whether or not to receive colorectal cancer screening.