For many years, the standard of care in America has been for all Americans to undergo a screening colonoscopy at age 50. The word screening means to have a colonoscopy done to look for polyps which can be precancerous, or even to detect those patients who have already developed a cancer of the colon or rectum. Screening means we do not wait for symptoms such as rectal bleeding or pain to develop.

This is similar to recommending a mammogram to all women when the reach the age of 35.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has previously recommended age 50 as the baseline screening age. This has been the guideline since 2016.

However, recent studies have demonstrated an increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in younger individuals. Thus the American College of Surgeons Guideline Development Group has established a younger age (45) as the recommended starting point. This guideline was published recently in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. It is based on data showing a 51% increase in the incidence of colon and rectal cancer in patients age 55 and younger, that has taken place in the 20 year period from 1994 to 2014. Furthermore recent data from 2005 to 2015 shows an 11% increase in mortality (death) from colon cancer in patients younger than 55 years of age.

While all General Surgeons are familiar with colonoscopy and other screening methods, Dr. Irwin Simon is a fellowship trained endoscopist with expertise in colonoscopy. He has previously served as the Director of the U.S. Army’s Surgical Endoscopy Training Program, sharing his expertise with other surgeons. Please contact the office to make an appointment if you desire evaluation for colorectal screening. Please be aware that the American College of Surgeons Guideline may or may not be adopted by your insurance company.

Dr. Simon would like to remind all patients with symptoms such as rectal pain, rectal bleeding, unexplained anemia, change in bowel habits, or change in stool caliber that these symptoms typically are abnormal. These patients should be evaluated by colonoscopy and this would not be considered a screening colonoscopy but instead is considered a diagnostic procedure. As such, the colonoscopy procedure would typically be covered by most insurances. Check with your insurer if there is any question whether this is a covered benefit.