The U.S. government and colorectal cancer prevention partners have set a goal to screen at least 80 percent of adults ages 50 to 75 for colorectal cancer, and a study from CDC researchers determined the U.S. healthcare system has the capacity to meet this goal.
CDC researchers used a mathematical model and found 5.1 million to 13 million colonoscopies would need to be conducted annually to meet the goal. Then, using survey data from facilities that offer colonoscopies, they found that 15 million colonoscopies were preformed in the U.S. in 2012, and the system has the capacity to perform 10.5 million more.
"Screening saves lives. The good news is that our modeling shows that the U.S. healthcare system has the potential to meet our national goal of screening 80 percent of adults ages 50-75," said Djenaba Joseph, MD, medical director of the CDC's colorectal cancer control program and a lead author of the study.
Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the U.S. Screening can help find colorectal cancer early on, or can even find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before cancer even starts to grow.