Should Screening Colonoscopy Be Offered From Age 50?

The introduction of colonoscopic screening in 2002 for persons aged 55 and older was followed by a marked decline in the incidence of colon cancer in the corresponding age groups in Germany. The prevalence of colorectal neoplasia among persons aged 50 to 54 has remained unknown until now. Expert committees currently recommend colonoscopic screening for persons aged 50 and older. This option has been offered since 2014 by the AOK Baden-Württemberg and by Bosch BKK in the framework of their specialized medical care program.

In April 2014 and 2015, 84 726 insurees aged 50-54 were invited by mail to participate in colonoscopic screening. The utilization and results of colonoscopic screening were studied. A questionnaire about risks was additionally sent to half of the participants, who were selected at random (study registration: DRKS00006268).

Within one year, 1.9% of persons to whom invitations had been sent took up the offer of colonoscopic screening; these persons included 3.3% of those already enrolled in the specialized medical care program. The 1396 colonoscopies that were performed revealed advanced neoplasia (colon cancer or advanced adenoma) in 6.8% of cases. The prevalence of advanced neoplasia among men aged 50 to 54 was nearly twice as high as that among women in the same age group (8.6% vs. 4.5%, p = 0.0027). It was also higher than the prevalences documented in the German nationwide cancer registry for women aged 55 to 79. The additional sending of a risk questionnaire along with the invitation had no effect on the rate of detection of relevant findings or on the rate of participation in colonoscopic screening.

These findings lend support to the demand that the offer of colonoscopic screening should be extended at least to men aged 50 and above.