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A prominent cancer organization is for the first time recommending Americans initiate colorectal cancer screening at age 45 instead of waiting until age 50, a threshold long endorsed by many other medical groups. The new guidelines, from the American Cancer Society, would extend routine colorectal cancer screening to an additional 22 million American adults between the ages of 45 and 49 and send a clear message that colorectal cancer, which has been rising in young adults, is no longer just a disease of older people. (Rabin, 5/30)

The American Cancer Society, responding to a rise in colorectal cancer rates among younger people, is now recommending that adults undergo screening for the disease beginning at age 45 rather than 50. The organization, which announced the change in its guidelines Wednesday, said extensive analysis showed that lowering the starting age for screening would save lives. The recommendations apply to adults who are at average risk of the disease; this includes most people in the United States. (McGinley, 5/30)

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States, most frequently diagnosed among adults over 65. To catch those typically slow-growing malignancies early, when they can often be cured, most doctors' groups recommend colorectal cancer screening starting at age 50. But the American Cancer Society this week changed its advice and is recommending that screening start five years earlier. (Neighmond, 5/30)

The guidelines are for men and women ages 45 to 75 of average risk for colon cancer; recommendations are different for people with certain conditions, like Crohn’s disease, or a family history of colon cancer. The group endorses six kinds of screening exams, from inexpensive take-home stool tests performed every year to colonoscopies done every 10. “All of these tests are good tests, and the choice should be offered to patients,” said the cancer society’s Dr. Rich Wender. “The best test is the test that gets done.” (Stobbe, 5/30)

The revision was immediately cheered by advocacy groups. “This recommendation will cover many of the people with early onset disease. It will save lives,” said Dawn Eicher, 41, of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, whose colon cancer was diagnosed at age 36 — 15 years after she began complaining of classic symptoms such as bleeding. (McCullough, 5/30)

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, killing about 50,000 people each year. Since 1994, there has been a 51 percent increase in colorectal cancer among people ages 20 to 49, according to data collected by the National Cancer Institute. A 2014 study by researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center projected that, from 2010 to 2030, colon cancer would increase by 90 percent among patients ages 20 to 34, and by 28 percent among patients 35 to 49. For rectal and related cancers, the expected increases were 124 percent for the younger age group and 46 percent for the older group.(Viviano, 5/30)

The change in recommendations came on the same day the American Cancer Society's medical journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians published a study that found colorectal cancer incidence rates among adults under 50 rose by 51% since 1994. Rates among adults ages 55 and older have declined steadily during the same period. (Johnson, 5/30)

Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is on the rise with rates up about 7 percent in the last four years, and the condition is more prevalent among older men than women, according to data collected on millions of Americans with private health insurance. The findings come from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Index, which gathers medical claims data from 41 million insured members up to age 64. (Schaefer, 5/31)

Artificial intelligence, which is bringing us everything from self-driving cars to personalized ads on the web, is also invading the world of medicine. In radiology, this technology is increasingly helping doctors in their jobs. A computer program that assists doctors in diagnosing strokes garnered approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year. Another that helps doctors diagnose broken wrists in x-ray images won FDA approval on May 24th. (Harris, 5/31)