The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) is lauding insurance company Aetna for its decision to over CT colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy.
In its revised policy, Aetna covers CTC for average-risk members ages 50 and older when the test is recommended by their physician, MITA said. CTC is now covered by the top five insurers in the U.S., including UnitedHealth Group, Anthem, Cigna, and Humana.
In a statement, MITA Executive Director Patrick Hope noted that the best screening test is the one that gets done, and having CTC available as an option motivates more people to get screened.
"This is especially important for high-risk populations, including African-Americans and Latinos who are at increased risk for colon cancer," Hope said. "MITA has long supported expanding access to this technology and we hope to see other payors follow suit."
![Images show the pectoralis muscles of a healthy male individual who never smoked (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; body mass index [BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 28.4; number of cigarette pack-years, 0; forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], 97.6% predicted; FEV1: forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio, 0.71; pectoralis muscle area [PMA], 59.4 cm2; pectoralis muscle volume [PMV], 764 cm3) and a male individual with a smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; BMI, 27.5; number of cigarette pack-years, 43.2, FEV1, 48% predicted; FEV1:FVC, 0.56; PMA, 35 cm2; PMV, 480.8 cm3) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (i.e., CanCOLD) study. The CT image is shown in the axial plane. The PMV is automatically extracted using the developed deep learning model and overlayed onto the lungs for visual clarity.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/genkin.25LqljVF0y.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
