Colon Cancer Rates Drop in Older Adults

Colon cancer rates have fallen 30% for Americans age 50 and older, the American Cancer Society says. That drop occurred between 2000 and 2010. Researchers said the main reason is clear. Rates of colonoscopy rose steeply during the same period. This screening test can find and remove colon polyps before they turn into cancer. In 2000, 19% of adults ages 50 through 75 had been screened with colonoscopy. That jumped to 55% in 2010. The study found that colon cancer rates declined faster at the end of the decade than at the beginning. The drop was especially steep among people age 65 and older. Between 2008 and 2010, colon cancer rates in this age group dropped 7.2% a year. Colon cancer deaths also fell for adults 50 and older. During the decade studied, deaths dropped about 3% a year. The decline was about 2% a year in the 1990s. The study did find one worrisome trend.