Colorectal cancer screening rates have increased since 2008, yet racial and ethnic disparities are still limiting further advancement, according to a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Researchers surveyed multiple respondents between the ages of 50 and 75 years every year from 2008 to 2016. They collected 1,089,433 responses and used them to determine significant trends in rates over time by race and ethnicity.
What you should know:
1. In 2008, screening uptake was at 61.1 percent, which increased to 67.6 percent in 2016.
2. Screening increases were highest in a white population and lowest in a Hispanic population. However, whites, Hispanics and Asians all saw increases each year.
3. The biggest disparity in screening rates was present between whites and Hispanics, at 17 percent. Screening rates in African Americans did not change over time and were 4.3 percent lower than whites in 2016.
4. Colonoscopy was the most common screening method every year.
Researchers concluded, "In a cross-sectional analysis of average-risk adults, we found that rates of CRC screening have increased overall since 2008, they have increased disproportionately in each racial and ethnic group — disparities in screening uptake persist."