“While the harmful health effects of tobacco smoking are well known, smoking has not been considered so far in the stratification of patients for CRC screening. Our findings could support lowering the recommended age for smokers to receive colorectal cancer screening,” said Albert B. Lowenfels, MD, senior author of the study, from New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York.

At present, evidence of a role for tobacco smoking on the development of CRC is still controversial. One explanation could be that CRC develops much later in life than polyps; the long latency period makes it difficult to establish a firm link between smoking and CRC.

The study was performed at the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy where the lead author, Edoardo Botteri, performed the analysis based on the combined evidence from 42 independent observational studies.

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is dedicated to the mission of advancing the science and practice of gastroenterology. Founded in 1897, the AGA is one of the oldest medical-specialty societies in the U.S. Comprised of two non-profit organizations — the AGA and the AGA Institute — our more than 16,000 members include physicians and scientists who research, diagnose and treat disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. The AGA, a 501(c6) organization, administers all membership and public policy activities, while the AGA Institute, a 501(c3) organization, runs the organization’s practice, research and educational programs. On a monthly basis, the AGA Institute publishes two highly respected journals, Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The organization's annual meeting is Digestive Disease Week®, which is held each May and is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. For more information, please visit www.gastro.org.

Gastroenterology, the official journal of the AGA Institute, is the most prominent scientific journal in the specialty and is in the top 1 percent of indexed medical journals internationally. The journal publishes clinical and basic science studies of all aspects of the digestive system, including the liver and pancreas, as well as nutrition. The journal is abstracted and indexed in Biological Abstracts, CABS, Chemical Abstracts, Current Contents, Excerpta Medica, Index Medicus, Nutrition Abstracts and Science Citation Index. For more information, visit www.gastrojournal.org.