Boston Globe -- PHILADELPHIA - Most people over 75 should stop getting routine colon cancer tests, according to a government task force that also rejected the latest X-ray screening technology. The US Preventive Services Task Force decided not to support the newest tests: CT colonography, an X-ray test known as virtual colonoscopy, and a stool DNA test for that age group. The panel said more research is needed. The task force endorsed three tests and said everyone ages 50 to 75 should get screened with one of them: a colonoscopy of the entire colon every 10 years; a sigmoidoscopy of the lower colon every five years, combined with a stool blood test every three years; and a stool blood test every year. The panel concluded that the benefits of detecting colon cancer decline after age 75 and risks rise. (AP)
