Reimagining Colorectal Cancer Screening: Innovations and Challenges with Dr. Aasma Shaukat.

Simple Summary: Colorectal cancer (CRC) stands as the third most common cancer globally and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, imposing a substantial health burden. Recent studies highlight a concerning rise in CRC rates among individuals below 50 years old, prompting the American Cancer Society (ACS) to recommend screening starting at age 45 for average-risk individuals. Dr. Aasma Shaukat's Keynote Conference stresses the urgent need for updated screening strategies to tackle suboptimal adherence rates and effectively manage the increasing burden of CRC. Lowering the adenoma detection screening age could aid in early identification of adenomas in asymptomatic younger patients, potentially reshaping disease epidemiology. Current screening options encompass stool-based tests like multitarget stool DNA (mtDNA) tests, fecal immunochemical testing (FIT), and imaging-based tests. Moreover, blood-based tests are emerging as promising tools for early CRC detection, utilizing innovative techniques and AI algorithms. Medicare mandates specific criteria for national coverage of blood-based tests. Ongoing clinical trials, such as Freenome, Guardant, and CancerSEEK, offer hope for further advancements in blood-based CRC screening. Despite breakthroughs, accessibility and affordability challenges persist. Adapting healthcare systems to accommodate changing CRC epidemiology is imperative. Lowering the screening age and integrating blood-based tests hold the potential to alleviate the CRC-related burden amidst evolving epidemiology. Colorectal cancer (CRC) currently ranks as the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, posing a significant global health burden to the population. Recent studies have reported the emergence of a new clinical picture of the disease, with a notable increase in CRC rates in younger populations of <50 years of age. The American Cancer Society (ACS) now recommends CRC screening starting at age 45 for average-risk individuals. Dr. Aasma Shaukat's Keynote Conference highlights the critical need for updated screening strategies, with an emphasis on addressing the suboptimal adherence rates and the effective management of the growing burden of CRC. Lowering the adenoma detection screening age can facilitate early identification of adenomas in younger asymptomatic patients, altering the epidemiologic landscape. However, its implications may not be as profound unless a drastic shift in the age distribution of CRC is observed. Currently, various screening options are available in practice, including stool-based tests like multitarget stool DNA (mtDNA) tests, fecal immunochemical testing (FIT), and imaging-based tests. In addition to existing screening methods, blood-based tests are now emerging as promising tools for early CRC detection. These tests leverage innovative techniques along with AI and machine learning algorithms, aiding in tumor detection at a significantly earlier stage, which was not possible before. Medicare mandates specific criteria for national coverage of blood-based tests, including sensitivity ≥ 74%, specificity ≥ 90%, FDA approval, and inclusion in professional society guidelines. Ongoing clinical trials, such as Freenome, Guardant, and CancerSEEK, offer hope for further advancements in blood-based CRC screening. The development of multicancer early detection tests like GRAIL demonstrates a tremendous potential for detecting various solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Despite these breakthroughs, the question of accessibility and affordability still stands. The ever-evolving landscape of CRC screening reflects the strength of the scientific field in light of an altered disease epidemiology. Lowering screening age along with the integration of blood-based tests with existing screening methods holds great potential in reducing the CRC-related burden. At the same time, it is increasingly important to address the challenges of adaptation of the healthcare system to this change in the epidemiologic paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]