Because the relative risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) among individuals with a family history of the disease declines as they get older, investigators wanted to find out if it would be cost effective to adjust screening recommendations. Their analysis suggests that it would.

• The analysis concluded that for a person who has 1 first degree relative with CRC, it would be cost effective to screen every 3 years starting at age 40.
• If such screening didn’t reveal an adenoma, then screening interval could be extended to 5 years at age 45 and every 7 years at age 55.
• The calculations upon which these recommendations were based relied on a Microsimulation Screening Analysis model, which was used to estimate costs and the value of a colonoscopy screening strategies for different age ranges and intervals.