Can you be too old to get a colonoscopy? The results indicated colonoscopies rarely detect colorectal
cancer in older adults—even if they have a history of benign tumors called adenoma. Adenomas typically begin in the tissue covering organs and glands. These mushroom-shaped tumors can grow in the colon, and while they aren’t cancerous, health care professionals usually consider them to be precancerous. Adenomas are found in 4o percent of screening colonoscopies in the
United States. If they are discovered during colonoscopies, physicians usually recommend removing them. After removal, current guidelines recommend that patients undergo future surveillance colonoscopies. However, guidelines do not provide much direction as to how long a person should undergo this surveillance. “Given the increasing aging population of in the US and that nearly 5.6 million adults older than 75 will undergo surveillance annually by 2024, estimating the yield of surveillance colonoscopy is important for understanding the balance between potential benefits and known risks of colonoscopy with advancing age,” researchers wrote. Patients with a history of advanced adenoma were more likely to have colorectal cancer detected by surveillance than patients with non-advanced adenoma. Additionally, patients with advanced adenoma were also more likely to have advanced neoplasia, which is growth over 10 millimeters in diameter. “The low rate of [colorectal cancer] detection at surveillance may not justify the potential harms and burdens of colonoscopy that may increase with age,” they wrote. However, they did note that colonoscopies could continue to save the lives of those with histories of adenomas. “For some older adults with a predicted life expectancy of 10 or more years and without significant competing comorbidities, especially for those with a prior advanced adenoma, detection of early-stage [colorectal cancer] or advanced adenomas at surveillance could lead to earlier treatment and improved outcomes,” the team wrote. The
American Cancer Society estimates that just over 106,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2024, and just over 46,000 will be diagnosed with rectal cancer. While its rates in older adults have dropped since the 1980s, colorectal cancer is still the third leading cause of cancer-related death in men and the fourth in
Women. When combined for both sexes, it’s the second most common cause of cancer death. It is expected to take the lives of just over 53,000 Americans in 2024.