Health

When should you start getting screened for colon cancer?

By Mallika Marshall, MD

August 2, 2023 / 5:35 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON - The American College of Physicians (ACP) said most Americans can begin screening for colon cancer at age 50 but this goes against more recent advice from other organizations.

There has been a disturbing rise in colon cancer cases among adults under 50 and the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended age to begin screening to 45. But the ACP, a large global organization of internal medicine specialists, continues to maintain that people who are at average (not high) risk for colon cancer and do not have symptoms can start colon cancer screening at age 50 when risk begins to increase substantially.

Despite the ACP's recent statement, many experts disagree, saying beginning at age 45 will prevent colon cancer in a substantial number of younger individuals. The best advice for patients? Discuss the potential risks and benefits of early screening with their own providers.

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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