Colon Screening at 55 Could Save Millions of Dollars

ORLANDO, Fla. — A screening program for colon cancer in patients starting 10 years prior to Medicare eligibility, at age 55 instead of Medicare’s 65, would save at least two dollars for every dollar spent, according to a new study that was presented this week at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando.

As people get older, their risk of developing polyps and colorectal cancer increases. Current guidelines recommend a screening colonoscopy for average-risk individuals beginning at age 50. But for many uninsured Americans, a lack of health insurance coverage poses a barrier to screening. Medicare coverage for most Americans begins at age 65, which means there is a coverage gap.

In order to determine the consequences that a lack of health coverage has regarding screening, Dr. Jianjun Li and colleagues from MaimonidesMedicalCenter in Brooklyn offered free colonoscopies to 248 consecutive patients (mean age 55) as part of a colorectal cancer screening program. Nearly 45 percent of patients had polyps. Five patients had early-stage colon cancer, and 22 patients had polyps larger than 1 cm. These large polyps are thought to have a greater risk of harboring or developing into colorectal cancer than smaller polyps. The screening program cost a total of $390,000.

The researchers concluded that had these patients not been screened, and the cancers and polyps allowed to progress undetected (assuming the cost of treatment and screening would be delayed until the Medicare eligibility age of 65) the estimated costs would be $1,295,000.

“Our study highlights the cost effectiveness and the lifesaving potential of a federally funded screening program for the uninsured ten years before they are eligible for Medicare,” said Dr. Tenner.

Source: The AmericanCollege of Gastroenterology