Should Routine Screening for Coronary Artery Disease be Recommended? A Comparison with Routine Screening for Colon Cancer

Both colon cancer and atherosclerotic heart disease meet the criteria for disease screening, i.e., a prolonged incubation period, an identifiable pre-disease lesion, and a positive clinical response to treatment when the lesion is detected early. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that 50,000 people in the United States die each year of colon cancer – a preventable disease. Prevention consists of periodic screening for precancerous polyps with either a colonoscopy and / or a high-sensitivity stool-based test.