Colorectal cancer screening: Clinical practice guidelines in oncology™

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in men and women in the United States. Patients with localized colon cancer have a 90% 5-year survival rate, and CRC mortality can be reduced through early diagnosis and cancer prevention with polypectomy. Therefore, the goal of CRC screening is to detect cancer at an early, curable stage and to detect and remove clinically significant adenomas. Screening tests that can detect both early cancer and adenomatous polyps are encouraged, although the panel recognizes that patient preference and resource accessibility play a large role in test selection. Current technology falls into 2 broad categories: structural and stool! fecal-based tests. Although some techniques are better established than others, the guidelines panelists agree that any screening is better than none. Important updates for 2010 include the addition of surveillance guidelines and definitions for several polyposis syndromes, including Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and juvenile polyposis syndrome, and modifications to screening modality and schedule recommendations.