![Tulane Study Supports Push For Earlier Colorectal Cancer Screening](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2017/08/tulane.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Tulane Study Supports Push For Earlier Colorectal Cancer Screening
There’s an active debate in the medical community about whether to start colorectal cancer screenings at 45 or 50, and a study by Tulane indicates starting screenings before 50 may be the better choice.
Tulane Associate Clinical Professor Dr. Jordan Karlitz studied cancer rate increases on a year to year basis and found a 46% increase in diagnoses from ages 49 to 50.
“We figured that there would be an uptick from age 49 to 50, but the degree of the uptick was what was concerning to us,” says Karlitz.
The increase from 49 to 50 was particularly noticeable in men, who saw a 53% increase in diagnoses.
The study also found 93% of cases discovered at age 50 were beyond “in situ stage”, indicating they’d been growing for quite some time. Karlitz says that’s dangerous.
“These could require more aggressive treatment including surgical resection and possibly chemotherapy and radiation,” says Karlitz.
Karlitz hopes the study will receive further review and potentially influence policy creators, as well as the general public.
“The data just raises the importance of getting screened in general. You can see that there is an important colorectal cancer burden and patients really need to talk to their providers about getting screened,” says Karlitz.
More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL
![Truck Crashes Through Louisiana Convenience Store, Injuries Unknown](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-451428443_875361657961063_9009058308210370374_n.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Lafayette Police Seek Public’s Help in Identifying iPad Theft Suspect](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-Untitled-design-2024-07-15T194605.280.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Alleged Donald Trump Shooter Spotted Nearly 30 Minutes Before Shots Fired](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-GettyImages-2161431349.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![WATCH: Would This Viral ‘Texas Gumbo’ Pass a South Louisiana Inspection?](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2023/12/attachment-Texas-Gumbo-Pepper-Belly-Pete.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Donald Trump Has Made His Vice Presidential Pick](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-GettyImages-2159730000.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![CHECK IT OUT: You Can Rent This Awesome Tower in New Iberia, Louisiana](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-new-iberia-airbnb-2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Man Wins $100,000 With Lottery Strategy From Watching ‘Lottery Changed My Life’](http://townsquare.media/site/33/files/2022/04/attachment-giorgio-trovato-BRl69uNXr7g-unsplash.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Louisiana to be Prominently Featured at Republican National Convention](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-RNC-LOGO.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Oddly-Named COVID Variant Making Its Way Into Louisiana for Possible ‘Summer Surge’, Experts Warn](http://townsquare.media/site/33/files/2020/08/GettyImages-1212257154.jpg?w=980&q=75)