Narrator: This is Science Today. Currently, early detection screenings for colorectal cancer are recommended for everyone at age fifty and above. But a new study has found for certain racial and ethnic groups, the recommended age should be lower. Dr. Charles Theuer of the University of California, Irvine, led the study.

Theuer: We looked at race in terms of black, Asian, white and Latino and we found that blacks are at highest risk of colorectal cancer and for that reason; they benefit most from a screening program that starts even before age fifty.

Narrator: In their study - the first of its kind to look into the cost-effectiveness of screenings in certain groups, the age that proved most effective for African-Americans was forty-two.

Theuer: Regardless of race, everyone needs to be screened starting at age fifty. And that's really an important point because a recent study showed that less than ten percent of our population is being screened in accordance with current American Cancer Society guidelines.

Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.