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The U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention issued the following fact sheet
on Colorectal Cancer Screening:
- Colorectal
cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death for
men and women. In 2003, there will be an estimated 147,500 new
cases and 57,100 deaths from colorectal cancer. Of those diagnosed,
93 percent are aged 50 and older.
- Screening
can find colorectal cancer in earlier stages when it can be
treated more successfully. It can also identify pre-cancerous
polyps so that they can be removed before they turn into cancer.
- In 2001,
of the 87,729 men and women aged 50 and older who responded
to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) national telephone
survey, 44.6 percent reported ever having had a fecal occult
blood test (FOBT), and 47.3 percent of respondents reported
ever having had a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
- For the
same year, respondents also reported whether they had received
tests within the recommended time intervals:
- 23.5
percent reported having had an FOBT within the previous
year
- 43.4
percent reported having had a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy
within the previous 10 years
- 53.1
percent reported having had either an FOBT within the previous
year and/or a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy within the previous
10 years.
- These rates
are slightly higher than in previous years. In comparison, in
1997, 19.4 percent reported FOBT within 1 year and 29.9 percent
reported sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy within 10 years. In 1999,
20.4 percent reported FOBT within one year and 33.3 percent
reported sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy within 10 years.
- Screening
rates varied widely by state. The proportion of people aged
50 and older who reported having had either FOBT within the
previous year or sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy within the previous
10 years ranged from 29.6 percent in Puerto Rico to 65.4 percent
in the District of Columbia.
- All men
and women aged 50 and older are encouraged to be screened for
colorectal cancer. Medicare has expanded coverage for screening
colonoscopy in addition to the previously covered FOBT and sigmoidoscopy.
Other
sources: CDC
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