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Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests and Recommendations

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Colorectal Cancer Screening and Computerized Tomographic Colonography

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Abstract

While colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States [1], it is believed to be a highly preventable cancer. In the USA, it is now recommended that all asymptomatic persons over the age of 50 undergo screening of the colon and rectum. This review will focus only on the methods and evidence for screening asymptomatic individuals—patients with gastrointestinal symptoms fall into another, typically more aggressive diagnostic algorithm category. Despite the fact that excellent screening tests are available, the compliance rate with current screening recommendations in the USA varies between 35 and 65 % and is influenced by a multitude of factors [2, 3]. There are many controversial aspects surrounding the assertion that screening for colon cancer in the USA is less than ideal.

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  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    Don C. Rockey M.D.

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Correspondence to Don C. Rockey M.D. .

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  1. Medical Center, Department of Gastroenterology, Walter Reed National Military, 8901 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, 20889, Maryland, USA

    Brooks D. Cash

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Rockey, D.C. (2013). Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests and Recommendations. In: Cash, B. (eds) Colorectal Cancer Screening and Computerized Tomographic Colonography. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5943-9_2

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