Screening guideline change led to more colorectal cancers being detected early in younger adults
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Over the last decade, researchers began to notice a sharp increase in the number of young patients coming in with colorectal cancer<\/a> \u2014 often with more advanced disease. The trend spurred organizations like the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to eventually lower the age to begin colorectal cancer screening in 2021 from 50 to 45, with the hope of catching some of those cases earlier. At the time, though, experts said there was concern that this younger age group might be less inclined to undergo colorectal cancer screening compared to the older groups.<\/p>\n Now two new studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday show that the portion of people between the ages of 45 to 49 who got screened sharply increased<\/a> after the task force recommendation changed in 2021, and it had the hoped-for result<\/a>: More cancers in this age group are being found early.\u00a0<\/p>\n