U.S. MSTF Releases New Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendation

On Monday, November 15, 2021, the United States Multi-Society Task Force (MSTF) on Colorectal Cancer released updated screening recommendations. The Task Force now suggests that colorectal cancer screening starts in average-risk individuals age 45 to 49. This update is aligned with multiple other professional societies, including the United States Preventative Services Task Force, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and American Cancer Society.

Unchanged recommendations from their 2017 update include:

• Strong recommendation for colorectal cancer screening in all individuals age 50 to 75 who have not already initiated screening.
• For individuals age 75 to 85, the decision to start or continue screening should be based on prior screening history, comorbidity, life expectancy, colorectal cancer risk, and personal preference.
• Screening is not recommended for individuals after age 85.
  

The Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer is represented by the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Full recommendations were published online via Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Gastroenterology, and The American Journal of Gastroenterology. All articles will be available in January 2022 print issues.

Posted 11/16/2021