Blood test added to screening guidelines for colorectal cancers for first time

The American Cancer Society (ACS) updated its guidelines Wednesday to include two new screening options for colorectal cancer, including a first-ever blood test. 

The ACS already recommends that adults take colonoscopy tests every 10 years beginning at age 45 and ending at age 75. However, the medical association noted that a sizable proportion of the American public — 1 in 3 people — skip this evaluation or other colorectal screening measures altogether. 

Colonoscopies are performed under anesthesia and involve a medical examination of a patient’s colon and rectum for signs of colorectal cancer. The ACS already recommends several alternatives for this evaluation, including visual exams and home-based stool tests. 

These new screening options, which include a blood-based evaluation and an at-home screening option, were shared by Robert Smith, the association’s senior vice president of early cancer detection science, in a report Wednesday morning. 

“We need to increase our emphasis on colorectal cancer as a highly preventable disease as much........

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