The American Cancer Society updated its colorectal cancer screening guidelines to include tests that have received FDA approval since the release of the 2018 guidelines.Blood-based screening tests are not recommended as a preferred option, but can be offered to individuals who decline or can't complete preferred screening tests.The updated guidelines also include updated and new stool-based options.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) updated its colorectal cancer (CRC) screening guidelines to include new molecular-based screening tests that have received FDA approval since the release of the 2018 guidelines.
While the new recommendations reaffirm that average-risk adults should begin CRC screening at age 45 and continue through age 75 for those with a life expectancy greater than 10 years, the ACS has added guidelines for new blood-based screening tests, as well as one updated and one new at-home stool-based screening options, reported Robert A. Smith, PhD, of the ACS's Center for Early Cancer Detection, and colleagues.
"Consistent with prior guidelines, the ACS emphasizes that offering multiple, recommended screening options supports informed patient choice and may improve participation, because the most effective screening test is the one that the patient completes," they wrote in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
