Good news for women: Fewer colonoscopies may be needed

If you re a woman approaching age 50, the conventionally recommended age to begin regular screening colonoscopies, it may be okay for you to wait another 15 years. A study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that the incidence of benign tumors (adenomas) in men and women aged 50 to 54 significantly differ.

The authors analyzed the results of 44,350 colonoscopy screenings over four years, looking at adenomas, advanced adenomas, and colorectal cancer. They found that only 10.7 percent of women aged 50 to 54 had an adenoma, compared to 18.5 percent of men of the same age. It was not until women reached the age of 65 that they had a prevalence of adenomas similar to those of men aged 50 to 54. Overall, men had twice the rate of colorectal cancer that women did.

Based on their findings, the authors write that the screening recommendations for women may need to be reconsidered. ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom agrees. This was a very large study with clear trends, he observes. If we know that, up until age 65, women are at a much lower risk, there s little reason to put them through a colonoscopy. For men, there is no such luck.

ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan s interpretation of the results was more cautious. I wouldn t feel safe recommending a change in the screening age until further studies have been done, she says.