CDC: Colorectal Cancer Screening Increasing

Incidence and mortality down, but only 65 percent of adults adequately screened for CRC

TUESDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates have increased in the United States in recent years and CRC incidence and mortality have fallen, though many people are still not receiving the recommended screening, according to a report published in the July 5 early-release issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The CDC evaluated CRC screening data from 2002-2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys and calculated state-specific CRC incidence and mortality annual percentage changes between 2003 and 2007 using the U.S. Cancer Statistics.

The data revealed that the percentage of individuals aged 50 to 75 years who were adequately screened for CRC increased from 52.3 percent in 2002 to 65.4 percent in 2010. CRC incidence ranged from 34.3 per 100,000 population in Utah to 56.9 in North Dakota during 2007. In terms of mortality rates in 2007, death rates ranged from 12.3 per 100,000 in Utah to 21.1 in the District of Columbia. CRC incidence declined significantly in 35 states and mortality declined in 49 states and the District of Columbia between 2003 and 2007.

"Recent significant improvements in CRC screening in the United States have contributed to reductions in incidence and death rates, but Healthy People 2020 targets have not yet been reached. Adherence to recommended CRC screening recommendations will prevent more CRC cases and deaths," the authors write.

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