The American Cancer Society updated its colorectal cancer screening guidelines to include additional blood- and stool-based screening options, while reaffirming that average-risk adults should begin screening at age 45 and continue through age 75 for those with a life expectancy greater than 10 years.
The updated guidance added a blood-based screening test taken in a physician’s office and two stool-based screening options that detect hidden blood and molecular markers in stool samples, according to a May 27 report published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The stool-based tests include the next-generation multitarget stool DNA test Cologuard and the multitarget stool RNA test ColoSense. ACS recommended the tests every 3 years.
ACS also recommended the blood-based test Shield only for individuals who decline or do not complete preferred screening tests. The organization said blood-based tests demonstrated lower sensitivity for advanced precancerous lesions and stage I cancers compared with established stool-based tests.
More than 20 million Americans eligible for colorectal cancer screening have not been tested as recommended, representing about 1 in 3 adults, ACS said. The organization also cited research showing colorectal cancer is now the top cancer killer of adults under age 50.
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