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Mike Mitka

JAMA. 2008;299(6):622.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

While recommendations call for adults aged 50 years or older to receive colorectal cancer screening, far too many still do not undergo the potentially life-saving procedure.

Studies of the US population published late last year found that between 1998 and 2004, only 1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries were screened, and that as of 2005, half of people aged 50 years or older had never had a screening colonoscopy, considered the gold standard of the screening modalities.

Although screening colonoscopy is recommended for adults aged 50 years or older, many do not receive this procedure.

Health professionals, insurers, public health advocates, and the government need to work harder to get the word out that colorectal cancer screening can save lives, said Grace Elta, MD, president of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and a professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System . . . [Full Text of this Article]