Quick Read: Colonoscopy May Be Overused in Older Adults, Study Finds

It may be Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, but that doesn't mean everyone should run out and get a colonoscopy. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against screening for colorectal cancer for people older than 75. (People 76-85 may consider it on an individual basis.) That's because colon cancer is slow growing, more than 10 years in many cases, but the risks of a colonoscopy -- internal tears, bleeding and hospitalization -- become a greater concern as a patient ages.

Source: Bloomberg

Older U.S. adults may get too many colonoscopies, costing Medicare money and putting patients at an increased risk of side effects including bleeding and hospitalization, researchers found. About one-quarter of colonoscopies in Medicare recipients ages 70 and older may be inappropriate based on screening guidelines, according to a study released today by JAMA Internal Medicine, which analyzed insurance claims data.