On behalf of the American Gastroenterological Association, thank you for the opportunity to discuss colorectal cancer screening before the Subcommittee today. Several years ago the AGA joined with the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases to form the American Digestive Health Foundation. I have been pleased to serve as Co-chair of the Foundation's Digestive Health Initiative Colorectal Cancer Education Campaign. For both men and women, it is the second deadliest cancer in this country, second only to lung cancer.
Colorectal cancer is largely preventable - most colorectal cancers develop from benign polyps.
For men and women 50 or older, as well as those with a family history of cancer, getting a colorectal cancer screening test is one of the best steps they can take to protect their health - in fact, it is estimated that widespread compliance with colorectal cancer screening could save the lives of more than 25,000 Americans each year. The fact that colorectal cancer screening saves lives is strongly supported by the recommendations of the American Cancer Society, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Earlier this year, major national clinical practice guidelines emphatically endorsed the importance of colorectal cancer screening for men and women aged 50 and above, and for persons at increased risk of colon cancer due to their family or personal medical histories. These guidelines, produced by the American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, included a rigorous review of the scientific literature on the efficacy of screening to detect colorectal cancer. An independent panel of 16 experts representing the fields of medicine, nursing, consumer advocacy, health care economics, behavioral sciences and radiology studied 3500 peer-reviewed, published papers, analyzing the performance, effectiveness, patient acceptance, cost effectiveness and outcome of screening tests currently in use.