I'm 76 years old and am wondering when it's no longer necessary to get colon cancer screening? Is there an upper age limit?

There's no upper age limit for colon cancer screening. But most medical organizations in the United States agree that the benefits of screening decline after age 75 for most people and there's little evidence to support continuing screening after age 85.

Discuss colon cancer screening with your health care provider. Together you can consider the benefits and risks of continued screening.

You and your provider might decide that it's a good idea to continue colon cancer screening if any of the following apply to you:

  • You're in excellent health.
  • You've never had colon cancer screening before.
  • You have a factor that increases your risk of colon cancer, such as a strong family history of colon cancer, a previous colon cancer diagnosis or a personal history of colon polyps.

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Dec. 24, 2025 See more Expert Answers

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  2. Ascites
  3. At-home colon cancer tests
  4. Belching, gas and bloating: Tips for reducing them
  5. Biopsy: Types of biopsy procedures used to diagnose cancer
  6. Blood Basics
  7. Cancer blood tests: Lab tests used in cancer diagnosis
  8. Cancer treatment
  9. Cancer treatment myths: Any truth to these common beliefs?
  10. Chemo targets
  11. Chemotherapy
  12. Chemotherapy and hair loss: What to expect during treatment
  13. Chemotherapy and sex: Is sexual activity OK during treatment?
  14. Chemotherapy for colon cancer
  15. Chemotherapy nausea and vomiting: Prevention is best defense
  16. Colectomy
  17. Colon cancer
  18. Colon Cancer Family Registry
  19. Colon cancer prevention: What you can do
  20. Colon cancer screening: Weighing the options
  21. Colon cancer stool: What to look for and how to test at home
  22. Colon cancer surgery
  23. Colonoscopy
  24. Colonoscopy
  25. Color Blue Detects Colon Cancer
  26. Colostomy reversal
  27. Colostomy: Surgery, Bags and Stoma Care
  28. Complete blood count (CBC)
  29. CT scan
  30. Early-onset colon cancer
  31. Gas and gas pains
  32. GI Stents
  33. How to read colonoscopy results
  34. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)
  35. Ileoanal anastomosis (J-pouch) surgery
  36. Is colon cancer hereditary?
  37. Lynch Syndrome
  38. Magic mouthwash
  39. Mayo Clinic Minute: What you need to know about polyps in your colon
  40. Minimally invasive surgery
  41. Monoclonal antibody medicines for cancer: How they work
  42. Mouth sores caused by cancer treatment: How to cope
  43. Ostomy: Adapting to life after colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy
  44. Palliative care
  45. PALS (Pets Are Loving Support)
  46. Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC)
  47. Radiation therapy
  48. Stool DNA test
  49. Symptom Checker
  50. X-ray