US Pharm. 2016;41(2):8.
Ann Arbor, MI—Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered that nearly 15% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed before the recommended screening age of 50 years. Younger patients were also more likely to have advanced disease and receive more aggressive treatment. To put this in perspective, <5% of invasive breast cancers occur in women under the screening age of 40. These findings suggest the need for more awareness of the warning signs and family history of the disease. Due to concerns over the costs versus the benefits of testing sooner, it is too early to tell if colonoscopy guidelines should be changed to begin screening at an earlier age.
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