The study found adults who undergo a flexible sigmoidoscopy exam between ages 55 and 65 could significantly reduce their odds of developing and dying from colorectal cancer.
The test allows doctors to examine and remove polyps or small growths that could become cancerous.
The British study found that the test only needed to be done once because polyps that grow in the bowel appear before age 60, so any potentially cancerous growths should be caught if the test is done on people in their fifties.
In the U.S., use of the flexible sigmoidoscopy test has plummeted because colonoscopies are perceived as being better.
