ACP Calls for Colon Cancer Screening at 50 - in Primary Care, Preventive Care from MedPage Today

Action Points

• Explain that colorectal cancer screening should begin at age 50 for all average-risk individuals, according to a new clinical guideline from the American College of Physicians (ACP), and options include fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy.
• Point out that high-risk patients should begin screening at 40 (or 10 years younger than the age when the youngest affected relative was diagnosed), and colonoscopy is the recommended screening modality.