Only 14% of Cancers in the US Are Detected Through Screening

In a recent analysis by the NORC at the University of Chicago, researchers analyzed the efficacy of cancer screening tools by determining what percentage of cancers are detected through screening. According to the study, screening tests are only available for five types of cancer. Investigators determined that only 14% of cancers in the United States are detected through screenings.

The press release states, “Just four types of cancer — breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung — have a screening test recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). These cancers make up 29% of all US cancer cases.”

Researchers at NORC note that there are also available screenings for prostate cancers; however, the current screening protocol may lead to overdiagnosis. For that reason, prostate cancer screenings are not widely recommended.

Despite the availability of screenings, many patients do not get them. Approximately 15% of all cancers in the US are breast, cervical, colorectal, or lung.

In the study, researchers aimed to determine the overall percentage of cancers detected by screening (PCDS) by focusing on breast, cervical, lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer in the US in 2017. To determine these rates, researchers estimated the screening rate based on the national self-reported screening rate from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey. The screening rate was multiplied by the expected number of cancers detected per screening and divided by cancer incidence.

At the close of the study, researchers found that 14% of cancers — including only breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancers — were detected through screening. Approximately 15% of breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancers (i.e., screenable cancers) were detected without screening.

Researchers collected some data on prostate cancer and determined that 11% of cancers were prostate cancers detected through screening, and 3% of cancers were prostate cancers not detected through screening. The remaining 57% of cancers were other diagnosed cancers that did not have available screenings.

“Cancer treatments have vastly improved over the last few decades, but the health system’s ability to screen for cancer, which is essential for early diagnosis and effective treatment, still has a long way to go,” said Caroline Pearson, senior vice president at NORC at the University of Chicago, in the press release. “There need to be more screening options to catch more cancers and improve outcomes for patients. To achieve our national goals to improve cancer care, we need better data about cancer screening and diagnosis, especially reliable data by race and ethnic group.”