Should all high-risk patients be screened with computed tomography angiography? Screening High-Risk Patients With Computed Tomography Angiography

Earlier this year, among the usual menu of worrisome daily news, Americans woke up to learn that for the first time in the nation’s history, annual mortality caused by cancer had declined significantly.1 Cancer experts told us in addition that such decline resulted mainly from a reduction in smoking among American men but also as a consequence of successful screening programs for breast and colon cancers, 2 of the most important killers in industrialized countries.2 The American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Diabetes Association have proposed joint efforts to prevent and foster the early detection of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes.3 Specifically, the American Cancer Society recommends screening for breast cancer starting at age 20 years with annual mammography starting at age 40, screening for cervical cancer to begin at age 21, and screening for colon and prostate cancer to begin at age 50.