New colon cancer screening guidelines

If you are over 50, doctors recommend that you get screened for colon cancer. But it’s up to you and your physician to decide which test is best for you.

The latest report by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force —the nation’s leading independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care—concluded that the three top methods for colon cancer screening are equally effective, and it did not recommend one over the other. The tests are:

• Colonoscopy—every 10 years. This procedure explores the entire colon via a tiny camera mounted on several feet of tubing, allowing doctors to sample suspicious growths. The patient is sedated, and there’s a small risk of perforation. Having a virtual colonoscopy is the more non-invasive method and has been shown to be just as effective.

• Flexible Sigmoidoscopy—every five years, supplemented with stool samples at certain intervals. The test checks only the last two feet of the intestine, and sedation is not required. The risk of perforation is slight.

• High-Sensitivity Fecal Blood Test—once a year. The patient prepares stool samples, which are analyzed for microscopic traces of blood. This method has a higher risk of “false positive” and “false negative” results.

For the first time, the USPSTF recommends against routine colon cancer screening for people over 75, finding the benefits small compared with the risks. It recommends that screening stop altogether after age 85. But screening is strongly encouraged for 50- to 75-year-olds. Currently, only about half of Americans get tested. Experts stress that early detection can make a big difference in your ability to survive colon cancer.