Effect of Medicare Coverage on Use of Invasive Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests

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Abstract
COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death.1 The estimated lifetime risk of CRC is 6%, and approximately 2.5% of the population will die of this disease. In recent years, screening for CRC has become more widely accepted, and several professional medical societies have adopted guidelines for CRC screening.2-5 The 2 most common methods of screening for CRC are fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) and flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS). The former has been demonstrated to reduce CRC mortality by 15% to 33%,6-9 and the latter by 50% to 80%.10-12 Colonoscopy and double-contrast barium enema have also been advocated as screening tests in certain patient populations.