Could colorectal cancer screening intervals be safely extended?

Researchers from the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology (Warsaw, Poland) have demonstrated that a single negative high-quality screening colonoscopy was associated with significantly reduced colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality among a large cohort of patients for up to approximately 17 years. The results, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest that the 10-year screening interval that’s currently recommended could be safely extended.Until now, a lack of long-term data has made it difficult to determine the optimal screening interval between negative colonoscopies. The current guidelines for colonoscopies recommend a 10-year interval between negative screens for adults of average...