Many people in the U.S. may now be thinking that they’ve received a blessed reprieve from a middle age rite of passage: the colonoscopy. After all, a large study just made headlines for suggesting the procedure isn’t nearly as effective at lowering the risk of colon cancer as previously thought. Worse, it didn’t seem to have any impact on lowering the risk of dying from the disease.
But no one should cancel their colon cancer screen.
The trial was important and well run, but it would be a mistake to take it as an indictment of the colonoscopy. Rather, the study should reinforce the need to closely compare the real-world risks and benefits of preventative testing — and serve as a reminder that those benefits might look less impressive as the overall population gets healthier.
