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Should African Americans be screened for colorectal cancer at an earlier age?

Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 2, pages 352–353 (2005)Cite this article

boxed-textAgrawal et al. (2005) Colorectal cancer in African Americans. Am J Gastroenterol 100: 515–523

Colorectal cancer screening by colonoscopy should begin at 45 years of age in African Americans

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Acknowledgements

The synopsis was written by Rachel Jones, Associate Editor, Nature Clinical Practice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, San Diego

    John M Carethers

  2. the Veterans Administration Research Service, San Diego, CA, USA

    John M Carethers

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  1. John M Carethers
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Correspondence to John M Carethers.

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Glossary

AFRICAN AMERICANS

Persons born in the US having ancestral origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa

FAMILIAL ADENOMATOUS POLYPOSIS

A condition in which multiple adenomatous polyps develop in the colon: patients are at nearly 100% risk for colorectal cancer as a result of a germline mutation in the APC (autosomal dominant) or MYH (autosomal recessive) genes

LYNCH SYNDROME

Autosomal dominant inheritance of mutated DNA mismatch repair genes (hMLH1, hMSH2, hMSH6, hPMS2) resulting in high risk for colorectal cancer and cancers of the female reproductive, urinary and upper gastrointestinal tracts

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Carethers, J. Should African Americans be screened for colorectal cancer at an earlier age?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2, 352–353 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpgasthep0241

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