Here are eight facts and statistics about colorectal cancer screening rates, according to the CDC.
1. Colorectal cancer can be prevented by removing precancerous polyps (abnormal growths), which can be present in the colon for as many as 10 years before invasive cancer develops.
2. When colorectal cancer is found early and treated, the 5-year relative survival rate is 90 percent. Because screening rates are low, less than 40 percent of colorectal cancers are found early.
3. One U.S. clinical trial reported a 33 percent reduction in colorectal cancer deaths and a 20 percent reduction in colorectal cancer incidence among people offered an annual fecal occult blood test (FOBT).
4. Colorectal cancer screening remains underused, despite the availability of effective screening tests.
5. Screening for colorectal cancer lags far behind screening for breast and cervical cancers.
6. Findings from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is administered by CDC, indicate that in 2005, only 50 percent of U.S. adults age 50 or older had undergone a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy within the previous 10 years or had used a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) home test kit within the preceding year.
7. Screening for colorectal cancer was particularly low among those respondents who lacked health insurance, those with no usual source of health care, and those who reported no doctor's visits within the preceding year.
8. As many as 60 percent of deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented if everyone age 50 and older were screened regularly.
Source: CDC
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