More older Americans are opting for colon cancer screenings, while the screening rate for breast cancer though higher than for colon cancer has reached a plateau, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) phone survey. The American Cancer Society estimates 51,000 Americans will die this year from colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death, and 40,000 from breast cancer. CDC officials are especially pleased with the increase in colon cancer screenings, given the discomfort and expense of colonoscopies.
It is good news that people are taking colon cancer screening more seriously, says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. It can be a life-saving procedure if polyps are found, they can be removed, rendering the procedure therapeutic as well as diagnostic.
The differing trend in breast cancer screening, however, is complicated by the disagreement over the age at which women without risk factors should receive their first mammogram, ACSH's Jeff Stier adds.
