Skip to main content

Colorectal Screening Rates Do Not Differ by 10-Year Life Expectancy in Seniors

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 6, 2023.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6, 2023 -- Personalized colorectal cancer (CRC) screening based on individual life expectancy may increase the value of CRC screening programs, according to a study published online Oct. 27 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Po-Hong Liu, M.D., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues examined receipt of past-year CRC screening according to predicted 10-year mortality risk among 25,888 community-dwelling, older adults (ages 65 to 84 years) who were not up-to-date with screening.

The researchers found that the prevalence of past-year CRC screening was 39.5, 40.6, 38.7, 36.4, and 35.4 percent from the lowest to highest quintile of 10-year mortality risk. There were no significant differences observed in the odds of CRC screening between adults in the lowest versus highest quintile (adjusted odds ratio, 1.05; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.93 to 1.20). More than one-quarter (27.9 percent) of past-year CRC screening occurred in adults with life expectancy <10 years. Furthermore, at the time of screening, more than half of adults aged 75 to 84 years (50.7 percent) had 10-year mortality risk ≥50 percent.

"An age-based approach to CRC screening results in underscreening of older, healthier adults and overscreening of younger adults with chronic conditions," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to Exact Sciences, Universal Dx, Roche, and Freenome.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

ACG: 2000 to 2022 Saw Rise in Early-Onset CRC Mortality in the United States

THURSDAY, Oct. 31, 2024 -- Early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) mortality rose in the United States over the past two decades, most notably in patients aged 20 to 44 years...

Cell-Free Blood DNA Tests Less Effective Than Other CRC Screening

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30, 2024 -- Cell-free DNA blood tests (cf-bDNA) may be more costly and less effective for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening than other screening modalities...

Restaging MRI Can Predict Survival With Rectal Cancer

TUESDAY, Oct. 29, 2024 -- Restaging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can predict organ preservation and survival with rectal cancer, according to a study published online...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.