A recent study of 25,000 patients in the Veterans Affair (VA) health system has confirmed that colonoscopies reduce colorectal cancer death rates, a finding that confirms the long-held position of The American College of Gastroenterology. Among those studied, almost 80%, or 20,000, were cancer-free from 2002-2008, while the other 5,000 who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and died by 2010 were less likely to have had a colonoscopy. These results underscore the importance of getting screened for those age 50 and older who have an average risk of colon or rectal cancer.