Breast, cervical, CRC screening below Healthy People 2020 targets

Receipt of screening tests for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers was below national Heathy People 2020 targets in 2018, according to research published in the Jan. 14 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Susan A. Sabatino, M.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey from 2018 to estimate the percentages of adults with up-to-date U.S. Preventive Services Task Force screening recommendations for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers.

The researchers found that colorectal cancer test receipt neared the national Healthy People 2020 target in 2018 (66.9 percent of adults aged 50 to 75 years up to date with testing compared with target of 70.5 percent). Screening receipt remained below targets for breast and cervical cancer, with little change from 2005 to 2018. There was evidence of disparities: Among persons who were uninsured or did not have usual sources of care, test receipt was particularly low.

"Continued monitoring can help assess whether national screening targets are achieved, and inform efforts that promote screening test receipt as recommended and reduce barriers for underserved populations to eliminate disparities," the authors write. "Evidence-based interventions can be selected and adapted to meet the needs of communities and specific populations and can be combined to address multiple barriers, potentially at multiple levels."