Screening for colon cancer in adults should be from 45 years of age, instead of the current 50: this is the recommendation, contained in a draft document, by the Task Force of preventive services of the United States, an independent group of experts in primary care and prevention which develops recommendations for clinical prevention services.
The New York Times reports.
While most of these cancers affect people aged 50 and over, the incidence is growing for every generation born from 1950 onwards.
Many early cases are detected in people in their 20s and 30s.
"One in three of our patients is under the age of 50, that's a major problem," said Scott Kopetz, an oncologist at Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
A similar recommendation should also be made in Italy, according to Roberto Persiani, head of the Minimally invasive Oncology Surgery unit at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome: "It happens more and more often - he says - that we have to operate on patients aged 36-44, who are now they are no longer isolated cases as before, probably due to lifestyle, diet, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol and smoking ".
Colon cancer is a disease in 20% of cases "of genetic origin - continues Persiani - but in 80% of cases it is sporadic, and there may be risk factors, such as family history, suffering from ulcerative colitis and Chron's disease or do immunosuppressive therapies, which would require early screening for at least these categories ".
Currently, screening is offered between the ages of 50 and 74, but "unfortunately at the national level the adhesion is very low, it is around 30% and now with the pandemic it is even worse. Many have skipped the checks, and in recent months we have seen fewer but more serious cases ", comments Persiani.
Yet in Italy alone, 50,000 new cases of colon cancer are recorded every year, 500,000 in Europe.
"Prevention is fundamental - he concludes - For this reason, with the Europa Colon Italia association we are organizing campaigns in schools, to ensure that children are the ones who push parents to control themselves".
(HANDLE).
