Epic Study Finds 1,300 Screenings Needed to Detect 1 Cancer Below Age 45
Updated
Updated · employercoverage.substack.com · Jun 19
Epic Study Finds 1,300 Screenings Needed to Detect 1 Cancer Below Age 45
3 articles · Updated · employercoverage.substack.com · Jun 19
Summary
Epic Research Network modeling found little benefit to routine colorectal cancer screening for average-risk adults under 45, despite rising diagnoses in younger people.
3.7 million colonoscopy records since 2021 were used to estimate detection rates, showing fewer than 100 cancers per 100,000 screenings at age 35 versus nearly 400 at age 59.
That translates to a number needed to screen of almost 1,300 at age 35, compared with about 250 at age 59, making a blanket policy change below 45 hard to justify.
The findings apply only to people without symptoms or elevated risk; those with genetic predisposition, family history, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain or anemia may still need earlier evaluation.