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By Emma Patten-Hitt
ATLANTA, Mar 08 (Reuters Health) - Fewer than half of the Americans who should be regularly screened for colorectal cancer are getting tests known to reduce deaths from the disease, US government researchers reported Thursday.
Colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the country, kills 56,700 Americans annually. But the low rate of screening shows that "people aren't aware of how common this cancer is," said Dr. Laura Seeff, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
More than 90% of cases of the disease occur in people over the age of 50. Public health groups recommend that people over 50 have regular tests for signs of colon cancer. Studies have shown that regular screening can cut deaths due to colorectal cancer. "It is actually preventable, and it can be treated much more successfully if we catch it early," Seeff said.
"People younger than 50 years old who have a parent or a sibling with colorectal cancer should also be screened, and should definitely tell their healthcare provider," Seeff added.
But the tests are seriously underused. In a national telephone survey, CDC researchers asked over 63,000 US residents, aged 50 years or older, whether they had ever been tested for colon cancer, which test they used, and when the test had been performed. Only 44% had been screened, compared to 41% in 1997, according to a report in the March 8th issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The low screening rates could be due to several factors, Seeff noted. "There is some embarrassment and discomfort even talking about the disease; the tests are thought to be uncomfortable, although people frequently say that the anticipation is worse than the test itself; and there's also a lack of knowledge," Seeff said. Medicare helps to pay for the tests, so the cost is probably not a factor.
Testing options for people aged 50 or older at average risk of colorectal cancer include: an annual fecal-occult blood test, which detects blood in the stool; a sigmoidoscopy every 5 years to examine the lower third of the colon; a colonoscopy every 10 years, which examines the entire length of the colon; or a barium enema every 5 to 10 years which allows visualization of the colon by x-ray.
SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2001;50:162-165.
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