Commentary on 'attitudes toward colorectal cancer screening in the digital age: A survey of practices and attitudes among screening eligible alabamians'

摘要

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States and Americans have a 5% lifetime risk for this malignancy.1 Most CRCs develop from preexisting adenomatous polyps, which usually take years to progress through an adenoma-carcinoma sequence to CRC.2 This progression presents the opportunity to prevent CRC by finding and removing adenomas and to detect CRC at an early, curable stage. Multiple screening guidelines have been published, including those by the US Preventive Services Task Force, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Gastroenterology, a joint guideline by the American Cancer Society, the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, and the American College of Radiology. There is general agreement that screening should begin at age 50 years in individuals at average risk who are asymptomatic and have no family history of CRC.3