On May 18, 2021, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated its guidance for colorectal cancer screening. In a major change from the previous guidance, the Task Force recommended that adults who are at average risk for colorectal cancer should be screened from age 45 years, rather than from 50 years. The new recommendation has been assigned a B grade, which signifies that the Task Force believes “there is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial”. Screening people aged 50–75 years continues to be an A grade recommendation, indicating that “there is high certainty that the net benefit is substantial”. American health insurance companies are legally obliged to wholly cover all A and B grade preventive service recommendations from the USPSTF.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(21)00188-6

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