USPSTF Releases Updated Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendations

The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) assigned an “A” grade to screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) starting at age 50 and continuing until age 75 in average-risk, asymptomatic adults, according to a recommendation statement the USPSTF released this week.

USPSTF also assigned a “C” grade for the decision to screen for CRC in adults aged 76 to 85 years, noting the decision should be an individual one, taking into account the patient’s overall health and prior screening history.

The task force recommendations also determined CT colonography (CTC) is now among the seven acceptable CRC screening options.

“Screening for colorectal cancer is a substantially underused preventive health strategy in the United States. In addition, there are no empirical data to suggest that any of the strategies provide a greater net benefit. Accordingly, the best screening test is the one that gets done, and the USPSTF concludes that maximizing the total proportion of the eligible population that receives screening will result in the greatest reduction in colorectal cancer deaths,” the task force said in the statement.

RSNA News will feature more extensive coverage of the change in the September issue.

Web Extras

• Read the entire USPSTF Final Recommendation Statement for Colorectal Cancer Screening at www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/colorectal-cancer-screening2#Pod2
• View the RSNA Position Statement on colon rel="noopener noreferrer" cancer screening at www.rsna.org/uploadedFiles/RSNA/Content/Role_based_pages/Media/RSNA-Colon-Cancer-Screening-Statement.pdf