Colorectal cancer is being diagnosed in younger people — those under 55 — and at more advanced stages, the American Cancer Society (ACS) shows in a new report.
One in five diagnoses were in people younger than 55, according to the report, with three in five diagnoses of colorectal cancer in advanced-stage.
Colorectal cancer diagnoses in younger people have more than doubled since 1995, and death rates have increased by 1% annually in people younger than 50 years old since 2005, the report said.
ACS said all states should have lowered the age for screening coverage — fecal occult blood tests, colonoscopies and biopsies — without any out-of-pocket costs to age 45.
So far 11 states have. Oregon is not among them.
Oregonians aged 45 to 50 with Oregon Health Plan or state-regulated insurance will have to wait until January 2024 to receive colorectal cancer screening coverage, the Oregon Health Authority confirmed.
The American Cancer Society in 2018 recommended individuals start getting screened for colorectal cancer at age 45, not the previously recommended age 50. In November 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ruled to provide insurance coverage of colorectal cancer screening for those 45 and older.
Why is Oregon coverage delayed?
The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) makes expert recommendations for medical preventative services, such as colorectal cancer screening, and the Oregon Health Evidence Review Commission works to implement recommendations.
USPSTF recommendations published by Jan. 1, 2022, are currently covered by Oregon Health Plan and state-regulated insurers. In January 2024, the Oregon Health Evidence Review Commission plans to update recommendations to those published by Jan. 1, 2023, lowering the age for colorectal cancer screening coverage to 45.
The delay in coverage is because commercial insurers need time to incorporate the costs of the new recommendations into their rates, an Oregon Health Authority spokesperson said.
Who is impacted by colon cancer?
Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States.
Incidence of diagnosis is higher in men than in women, but men and women have similar risks of developing colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer incidence is highest for people who are Alaskan Native, American Indian or Black, the ACS report said.
Risk factors for developing colorectal cancer include incidence of first-degree family diagnosis, obesity, diets that include a lot of red or processed meat, heavy alcohol consumption and an inactive lifestyle.
Colonoscopies are typically covered every 10 years, and fecal occult blood tests are covered once per year. If an individual has a higher risk for developing colorectal cancer, more frequent screening would likely be covered.
“American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is confident that this shift in federal law will reduce rates of colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in Oregon,” said Jamie Dunphy, ACS Cancer Action Network Government Relations Director in Oregon.
