My father died of colon cancer at 52, so I've been getting colonoscopies every 3-5 years since I was 22. Yes, that's really early, but in the span between age 30-33, I grew a large polyp. My doctor removed it and it turned out non-cancerous, but if I waited until 40+ to start who knows?
The article theorized that some of the acceptors in the study likely looked at their family history when making the decision. They might not be especially helpful on average, but because of your father, they're much more helpful for you.
One thing I'm having trouble parsing from the study relates to exactly the point you're raising. If it's assessed as like a national program applied to everyone, that's one way of understanding its value. But if you believe yourself to be a part of a special at risk population and can have good reason for making that determination, to me it raises a new question about the wisdom of proceeding.
