Decoding Efficacy: MIT Unveils the Surprising Truth About Colon Cancer Screenings

Colon cancer screening significantly lowers the incidence rate by about 0.5 percentage points, double the previously estimated effect, according to new research analyzing trial data with adjustments for actual screening adherence.

Screening for colon cancer reduces cancer rates by substantially more than previous analyses of randomized trials suggest, according to a study co-authored by an MIT economist that takes a new look at data from five trials.

Roughly 1 percent of participants in a given trial get colon cancer in the decade following the trial. The new findings, based on data from trials in half a dozen countries, show that screening reduces this rate by about 0.5 percentage points. That is twice the impact previously estimated; earlier studies placed the screening effect at around a quarter of a percentage point.