Colonoscopy Screening Yields in Average-Risk Individuals Aged 40 to 49

Essentially all guidelines recommend colorectal cancer screening in average-risk individuals starting at age 50. A previous study examining colonoscopy suggested that screening was not justified in average-risk individuals aged 40 to 49 because they had lower overall risk for adenomas and advanced adenomas than did older populations (N Engl J Med 2002; 346:1781).

In the current study, researchers examined yields from 905 screening colonoscopies performed as part of executive health exams among average-risk individuals aged 40 to 59 (72% white; 75% male), mostly in New York City and Houston. The younger age group, (age range, 40–49, received 553 screening colonoscopies; 352 were performed in the older age group (age range, 50–59. One or more …