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Study finds men are at higher risk for colon cancer

Category: Colon

Colon cancer testing is known to be one of the most effective ways for individuals to reduce their risk of dying from the condition, but recommendations for screening have cause some controversy. Experts say that testing people who are at lower risk may contribute to unnecessary medical expenses.

In order to fine tune colon cancer testing recommendations, a team of researchers recently analyzed individuals' sex- and age-specific risk of developing the condition. They found that at all age groups, men are more likely to have advanced-stage tumors.

This led the team to say that cancer screening recommendations should advise men to start getting tested at younger ages.

"Analysis of age- and sex-specific prevalence of adenomas, advanced adenomas and colorectal cancer indicates a significantly higher rate of these lesions among men compared with women in all age groups, suggesting that male sex constitutes an independent risk factor for colorectal carcinoma and indicating new sex-specific age recommendations for screening colonoscopy," the researchers wrote.

The findings could contribute to the development of new cancer testing guidelines that specifically target those at the highest risk.