Spending money on colorectal cancer screening programs that target the pre-Medicare population (those between 50 and 64 years of age) is necessary to reduce the costs of colorectal cancer in the Medicare program, according to research presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 75th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Antonio, TX. Using a population-based model, researchers estimated screening and treatment costs for fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs); a mix of FOBT and colonoscopy; and colonoscopy, and compared them to current screening trends. Costs were increased in the pre-Medicare population as a result of use of all 3 programs; but those costs were offset by later savings in treatment costs in the older age-group.
