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Flexible sigmoidoscopy screening lowers colorectal cancer incidence and cancer-related mortality, but whether these effects differ by patient age and sex is unclear. In this pooled analysis of three randomized trials, international researchers compared the effectiveness of flexible sigmoidoscopy screening with usual care (i.e., no screening) in nearly 290,000 patients (age range, 50–74; 50% women).
After median follow-up of about 11 years, colorectal cancer incidence was significantly lower in the flexible sigmoidoscopy group than in the usual-care group (relative risk, 0.79, corresponding to roughly 2 or 3 fewer cases per 1000 people screened). In men, flexible sigmoidoscopy was associated with significantly lower risk for colorectal cancer…