, Columnist
Don’t Cancel Your Colonoscopy Just Yet
Data from a large trial appear to cast doubt over the benefits of the colon cancer screen. But it’s a lot more complicated.
A middle-age right of passage.
Photographer: American Cancer Society/Getty Images)This article is for subscribers only.
Many people in the US may now be thinking that they’ve received a blessed reprieve from a middle age rite of passage: the colonoscopy. After all, a large study just made headlines for suggesting the procedure isn’t nearly as effective at lowering the risk of colon cancer as previously thought. Worse, it didn’t seem to have any impact on lowering the risk of dying from the disease.
But no one should cancel their colon cancer screen.