The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says the age that routine screening begins for colorectal cancer should drop from 50 to 45. Colorectal is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.
Noting a sharp rise in colorectal cancer among younger people, the American Cancer Society now suggests that healthy adults get their first screening five years earlier — at age 45.
While the federal health law made insurers cover the full cost of screening colonoscopies, consumers with a history of polyps who need more frequent tests may have to pick up some costs.
Data suggests that the rate of colon cancer among people under 50 is on the rise, but there are lots of possible explanations for that. Scientists say teasing out the truth will be tricky.
Colonoscopy has long been the gold standard for colon cancer screening. Now gastroenterologists say the quick, inexpensive, noninvasive FIT test is a good option for people not willing to go there.
A federal task force expanded the list of recommended colorectal cancer screening tests. Here's the lowdown on the tests and how they might be covered now and in the future by health insurance.
More older men are getting screened for colorectal cancer since the federal health law eliminated the out-of-pocket charges for screening tests, but there's a catch if polyps are found.
Prices for common medical procedures vary widely, and it can be really hard to find out the true cost up front. This crowdsourcing project aims to help draw back the curtain on colonoscopy costs.
Most people are anesthetized during colonoscopy. Federal law mandates that the cancer test itself must be fully covered by insurers, but quite a few of them didn't pay for anesthesia.
Hepatitis C posed a threat to tens of thousands of patients at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada in 2007. The outbreak was caused by misuse of large anesthetic vials at the clinic.
