Screening Guidelines

Regular screening, beginning at age 50, is the key to preventing colorectal cancer.¹ Several scientific organizations, including the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and other federal agencies, recommend regular screening for all adults aged 50 or older. According to USPSTF, routine screening can reduce the number of people who die of colorectal cancer by as much as 60%.³

Recommended screening tests and intervals are:

• Fecal occult blood test (FOBT), which checks for hidden blood in three consecutive stool samples, should be administered every year.



• Flexible sigmoidoscopy, where physicians use a flexible, lighted tube (sigmoidoscope) to inspect visually the interior walls of the rectum and part of the colon, should be administered every 5 years.



• Double-contrast barium enema, a test that uses a series of X-rays of the colon and rectum (taken after the patient is given an enema containing barium dye followed by an injection of air in the lower bowel), should be administered every 5 years.



• Colonoscopy, where physicians use a flexible, lighted tube (colonoscope) to inspect visually the interior walls of the rectum and the entire colon, should be administered every 10 years. During this procedure, samples of tissue may be collected for closer examination, or polyps may be removed. Colonoscopies can be used as screening tests or as follow-up diagnostic tools when the results of another screening test are positive.²

People at higher risk of developing colorectal cancer should begin screening at a younger age, and may need to be tested more frequently. For more information, read the current colorectal cancer screening guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

References

1. Pignone M, Rich M, Teutsch SM, Berg AO, Lohr KN. Screening for colorectal cancer in adults at average risk: a summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine 2002;137:132–141.



2. U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce. Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2005. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2005. AHRQ Publication No. 05-0570.



3. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Colorectal Cancer. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research Quality; 2002.

Related Materials

For Physicians

• Screen for Life Health Professionals Facts on Screening (PDF-191KB) (fact sheet)