Ontario Lowers Colorectal Cancer Screening Age to 45

Ontario is lowering the recommended age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45, effective July 1, in response to a rise in diagnoses among younger adults.

The change, outlined in new guidelines from Cancer Care Ontario and published by Ontario Health, targets primary care providers and aims to detect the disease earlier. Officials cited evidence from an expert panel, rising rates of early-onset colorectal cancer in the province and modeling that shows earlier screening reduces incidence and mortality.

People aged 45 to 49 will receive screening invitation letters in phases after the July start date. Doctors can immediately order fecal immunochemical tests, or FIT kits, for this group. The at-home test requires swabbing a stool sample and dropping it off or mailing it to a lab. Those with normal results repeat the test every two years, while positive results for blood trigger a referral for colonoscopy.

The guidelines also adjust recommendations for those with family history. Individuals with an immediate relative diagnosed before age 60 now start colonoscopy screening at age 40, or 10 years before their relative's diagnosis, whichever comes first, with tests every five...