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

See also

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