ACS Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines 2001:
Individuals at Average Risk

About 135,000 cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) are diagnosed each year and approximately 60,000 die from the disease. These numbers emphasize the importance of screening for early detection. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has recommendations for people aged 50 and over with average risk for colorectal cancer. Although the incidence of invasive CRC at age 50 is low, about 25% of adults at age 50 will have polyps, which should be examined and removed to prevent the growth of cancer.

Personal and familial risk factors need to be evaluated when considering screening because the guidelines for people with a personal medical and/or family history are different. It is important to speak with your physician about specific guidelines developed for your needs.

The ACS 2001 guidelines provide five options for screening of average-risk individuals. The screening options are:

Fecal Occult Blood Testing (FOBT) every year.

During FOBT, a stool sample is tested for blood that may indicate the need for further colorectal cancer screening.

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy every 5 years.

See "Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Sigmoidoscopy and Colonoscopy" for a description of the procedure.

Both the annual FOBT and flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, since evidence suggests that these two methods together are more effective than either one alone.

Double-Contrast Barium Enema every 5-10 years.

Barium sulfate (a chalky substance) and air are used to open up the colon so that x-rays can be taken.

Colonoscopy every 10 years.

See "Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Sigmoidoscopy and Colonscopy" for a description of the procedure.

For more information, visit the Web site of The American Cancer Society at http://www.cancer.org.

Reference:

CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 2001; 51: 38-75