The recent lowering of colorectal cancer (CRC)-screening age from 50 to 45 years is likely to affect demand for colonoscopy and case mix, and result in a modest lowering of adenoma-detection rate (ADR), the chief colonoscopy-quality metric, a new analysis suggests.
Dr. Seth Crockett of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Dr. Uri Ladabaum of Stanford University in California modeled scenarios reflecting, a base case (before the age eligibility change), a future steady state of screening participation based on age and a temporary high influx (“bolus”) of 45-49-year-old screenees.