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Elderly adults continue cancer screenings after recommended age

Researchers from the University of Connecticut in Storrs found that people have been undergoing screening even after they have passed the recommended age for certain cancer screenings, according to ABC News.

The study examined 1,697 adults between the ages of 75 and 79 and found that 57 percent were tested for colorectal cancer, 62 percent for breast cancer and 56 for prostate cancer. Now, physicians have to question if they should continue to screen someone after they reach a certain age.

"For breast cancer, colorectal cancer and cervical cancer - the cancers for which screening has been proved to be effective - if a person has less than five years to live, then screening is not beneficial," Dr. Locovico Balducci, program leader of the Senior Adult Oncology Program at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, told the news source. "But if it's longer and if a patient can tolerate cancer treatment, they shouldn't be denied screening."

According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, it is recommended that once a woman turns 40 she starts to schedule annual mammograms. Women who have an extensive family history of the disease may want to start making these appointments earlier, as family history is known as a risk factor. 
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