Latest evidence

Date: March 2026

The recent research article by Rabeneck et. al. (2026) Should we screen for colorectal cancer with biennial FIT beginning at age 45 in Canada?, published in the Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, provides new Canadian evidence on lowering the starting age for FIT based colorectal cancer screening and complements the existing Watching Brief. Both the Watching Brief and the article conclude that rising early onset colorectal cancer rates and projected reductions in cases, deaths, and costs consistently support further consideration of starting biennial FIT screening at age 45 in Canada.

As this article reflects the latest modelling, the original modelling data included in this Watching brief should now be used as a supporting reference.

This page will be updated as new evidence becomes available.