Revised Australian national guidelines for colorectal cancer screening

Family history is an important risk factor for the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). This publication describes the evidence and recommendations for colorectal cancer screening by family history, as reported in the Australian 2017 revised guidelines. A systematic review of cohort studies since 2005 was carried out to update the CRC risk estimates for relatives of people with colorectal cancer. Based on 10-year risks of colorectal cancer, people at near average risk due to no or weak family history (category 1) are recommended screening by immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT) every 2 years from age 50 to 74 years. Individuals with moderate risk due to their family history (category 2) are recommended biennial iFOBT from age 40 to 49 years, then colonoscopy every 5 years from age 50 to 74 years. People with a high risk due to their family history (category 3) are recommended biennial iFOBT from age 35 to 44 years, then colonoscopy every 5 years from age 45 to 74 years. By 2019, the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program will offer all Australians between the ages of 50-74, free biennial iFOBT screening. Read the full text