What age can I stop breast cancer and colon cancer screening?

In this edition of Daily Dose, a viewer asks at what age they can stop screening for breast and colon cancer.

According to Dr. Lacy Anderson, the general recommendation is to stop both screenings around age 75, but individual health and preferences matter.

"In general, you can stop screening mammograms and colonoscopies at age 75. But if you are still healthy with a life expectancy of 10 years or more, I usually recommend that you continue mammogram screening if you would want to treat breast cancer if it were diagnosed," Dr. Anderson said.

Dr. Anderson said she has several patients over 75 who remain very active and would want treatment if cancer were found. For them, she recommends continuing mammograms, at least every other year. However, she noted women in poor health can typically stop mammogram screenings after age 75.

"For colon cancer screening, we would generally stop at age 75, but for those who are higher risk and still healthy, we can consider continuing to screen until they are a bit older," she said.

Dr. Anderson emphasized that screening after age 75 should be a joint decision between a patient and their doctor.

"For those who are having colon problems, we can still do a colonoscopy if they are older than 75, but we may be able to stop screening in a patient with no symptoms," she said.