“Mandatory insurance coverage of CTC and the other USPSTF-recognized exams is a major step forward in the battle against colorectal cancer. Medicare coverage for CT colonography would remove a financial barrier to this screening and enable more seniors to be screened," said Dr. Judy Yee, chair of the American College of Radiology Colon Cancer Committee.

"This would help prevent many cancers, find more cancers before they progress and save thousands of people who might otherwise die from a disease that is often preventable,” she added.


The decision to screen for colorectal cancer in adults aged 76 to 85 years should be an individual one, according to the new recommendations, taking into account the patient’s overall health and prior screening history.

"In the current recommendation, instead of emphasizing specific screening approaches, the USPSTF has instead chosen to highlight that there is convincing evidence that colorectal cancer screening substantially reduces deaths from the disease among adults aged 50 to 75 years, and that not enough adults in the United States are using this effective preventive intervention," the USPSTF wrote in The Journal of the American Medical Association on Wednesday.

One in 21 U.S. men and one in 23 women can expect to develop colon or rectal cancers, according the American Cancer Society. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men and women. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 134,000 people will develop colorectal cancer in 2016. More than 49,000 will die of the disease.

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