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The empirical basis for the recommended rescreening interval of 10 years after initial negative colonoscopy is sparse. In this retrospective cohort study from a large California health system, researchers tracked more than 1 million screening-eligible patients (mean age, 56) at average risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients with negative colonoscopy results were followed until they were rescreened or reached an endpoint (i.e., CRC diagnosis, death, withdrawal from the health plan, or conclusion of the study). Unscreened patients were followed until they underwent screening (by fecal test, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy) or reached an endpoint.
The incidence of CRC or CRC-associated death was lower in the colonoscopy group than in the unsc…