MONDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) — Women are more vulnerable to developing tobacco-linked colorectal cancer than men, U.S. researchers report.

The Evanston Northwestern Health Care study analyzed data from more than 350 teaching and community hospitals in the United States, and found that while both tobacco and alcohol increase colorectal cancer risk, women who smoke are at an especially increased risk.

“We can see that while both men and women who use tobacco and alcohol are diagnosed with colorectal cancer at an earlier age, the effect of tobacco is significantly greater in women,” researcher Dr. Anna L. Zisman said in a prepared statement.

The findings were presented Monday at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting, in Honolulu.

Another seo services study presented at the meeting found that people aged 75 years and older still benefit from colorectal cancer screening and experience no more complications from colonoscopy than younger people.

Most current guidelines recommend that colorectal cancer screening begin at age 50 for people at average risk, but there is no consensus about what age to stop screening.

“Older patients often have other health problems that increase the risk of undergoing endoscopy, so we need more evidence regarding the usefulness of screening in this older population. Our data support continued screening of elderly patients,” Dr. Aaron Walfish, of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, said in a prepared statement.

He and his colleagues did a retrospective study of 178 patients, aged 75 and older, and 318 patients, aged 65 to 69. Both age groups had similar rates of polyps or masses (43 percent in those aged 75 and older vs. 42 percent in those aged 65 to 69). No complications from the colonoscopy were reported in either group.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about colorectal cancer.