Screening Colonoscopy to Prevent Colorectal Cancer Among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 70 to 79 Years
Authors: Nicole T. Shen, Anna Maw, Yecheskel Schneider, Russell Evan Rosenblatt
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Letters16 May 2017Screening Colonoscopy to Prevent Colorectal Cancer Among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 70 to 79 YearsNicole T. Shen, MD, Anna Maw, MD, MS, Yecheskel Schneider, MD, and Russell Evan Rosenblatt, MDNicole T. Shen, MDFrom Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, and University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado.Search for more papers by this author, Anna Maw, MD, MSFrom Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, and University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado.Search for more papers by this author, Yecheskel Schneider, MDFrom Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, and University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado.Search for more papers by this author, and Russell Evan Rosenblatt, MDFrom Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, and University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L17-0137 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:García-Albéniz and colleagues (1) investigated the use of colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer (CRC) in a population not currently represented in ongoing clinical trials. Although unable to directly measure mortality, their study suggests a mortality benefit based on CRC staging and prognosis. Most cases of CRC identified in the screened group (52.1%) were stage I or 0, which correlates with a 5-year survival rate at worst (stage I) of 92% for colon cancer and 87% for rectal cancer (2). Most cases identified in the unscreened group (67.3%) were stage 2 or higher and were associated with ...References1. García-Albéniz X, Hsu J, Bretthauer M, Hernán MA. Effectiveness of screening colonoscopy to prevent colorectal cancer among Medicare beneficiaries aged 70 to 79 years: a prospective observational study. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166:18-26. [PMID: 27669524]. doi:10.7326/M16-0758 LinkGoogle Scholar2. American Cancer Society. Colorectal cancer: what are the survival rates for colorectal cancer, by stage? 15 October 2015. Revised 20 January 2016. Accessed at www.cancer.org/cancer/colonandrectumcancer/detailedguide/colorectal-cancer-survival-rates on 17 October 2016. Google Scholar3. National Institutes of Health. SEER stat fact sheets: colon and rectum cancer. 2010. Accessed at http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/colorect.html on 17 October 2016. Google Scholar4. United States Census Bureau. 2010 and 2015 American Community Survey 1-year estimates. 2017. Accessed at http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml on 17 October 2016. Google Scholar5. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Profile of Medicare beneficiaries by race and ethnicity: a chartpack. 9 March 2016. Accessed at http://kff.org/medicare/report/profile-of-medicare-beneficiaries-by-race-and-ethnicity-a-chartpack on 17 October 2016. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, and University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L17-0137. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEffectiveness of Screening Colonoscopy to Prevent Colorectal Cancer Among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 70 to 79 Years Xabier García-Albéniz , John Hsu , Michael Bretthauer , and Miguel A. Hernán Screening Colonoscopy to Prevent Colorectal Cancer Among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 70 to 79 Years Xabier García-Albéniz , John Hsu , Michael Bretthauer , and Miguel A. Hernán Metrics 16 May 2017Volume 166, Issue 10Page: 758KeywordsColonoscopyColorectal cancerDisclosureForecastingMedicareMortalityPreventive medicineRacial and ethnic issuesRectal cancerSurveillance Epidemiology and End Results ePublished: 16 May 2017 Issue Published: 16 May 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...