Health Screenings for a 45-Year-Old Male

Cancer Screenings

The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends beginning colorectal cancer screening at age 45 with one of the following options: annual high-sensitivity guaiac fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical testing (FIT), flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, colonoscopy every 10 years, CT colonography every 5 years, multitarget stool DNA test every 3 years, or double-contrast barium enema every 5 years 2
The American College of Physicians recommends discussing prostate cancer screening options at age 45, especially for men at higher risk, such as African American men or those with a family history of prostate cancer 3, 4
The American College of Physicians recommends a shared decision-making approach to weigh potential benefits against harms of prostate cancer screening 3, 1

The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends lipid screening for men 40 to 75 years of age, which includes total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol measurements, and can be performed on non-fasting samples 5
The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends confirming abnormal lipid results with repeat testing, and screening at an interval of every 5 years for normal results, and more frequently for borderline results 5

The American College of Physicians recommends considering individual risk factors that may warrant earlier or more frequent screening, and following up all positive results on non-colonoscopy colorectal screening tests with timely colonoscopy 1
The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends not delaying colorectal cancer screening beyond age 45, as guidelines have recently lowered the recommended starting age from 50 to 45 1
The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends not failing to repeat abnormal lipid or glucose test results for confirmation before making a diagnosis, and considering individual risk factors that may necessitate earlier or more intensive screening 5, 1
The BMJ recommends not overlooking the importance of shared decision-making for prostate cancer screening 3