Hot Topics in Primary Care: Colorectal Cancer Screening

Colorectal cancer is a generally slow-growing cancer that is highly curable when detected at an early, localized stage. Dueto the lack of symptoms, even with advanced disease, screening is required to ensure cancers are detected early. Currently,however, only 3 in 5 people eligible for CRC screening undergo screening. Barriers vary somewhat by screening test and may differ in individual patients. Screening tests are generally more affordable due to recent changes in Medicare and private insurance coverage. Discussion with patients to identify barriers to screening makes it possible to select among the currently available invasive and noninvasive screening tests to determine the test that best meets the patient’s health needs with the overall goal of increasing screening for a preventable disease.