Screening Guidelines for Colorectal Cancer

If caught early, 90% of colon cancer cases are curable. This is why it is one of our main goals to educate the public about the right time to be screened for colorectal cancer. The following are screening guidelines put forth by a recent American Cancer Society task force made up of leading oncologists, radiologists, surgeons, and epidemiologists. These are guidelines for average risk individuals. People with a first degree relative who was diagnosed with colon cancer, have a 2-3 fold increased risk of developing the disease. As a general rule, these higher risk individuals should have a colonoscopy at age 40 or 10 years prior to the age when their relative was diagnosed, which ever comes first.

There are no symptoms of colorectal cancer in its early stages. This is why you should get screened at your appropriate time even if you feel fine. As pre-cancerous polyps grow into cancer they can bleed and obstruct the large intestine. Call your doctor if you experience any of the following for more than two weeks: blood in the stool, a change in the size or shape of your stool, abdominal pain or cramping in your lower stomach.

Table 1. Colorectal cancer screening guidelines for average risk individuals put forth by the 2008 by the American Cancer Society U.S. Multi-Society Task Force[1].

*Patients should choose ONE of the above regimens with consultation with their doctor.

§Positive test requires follow-up colonoscopy

1.              Levin, B., et al., Screening and surveillance for the early detection of colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps, 2008: A joint guideline from the American Cancer Society, the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, and the American College of Radiology. CA Cancer J Clin, 2008. 58(3): p. 130-60.