More Americans Getting Cancer Screening
Mammography Rates Show Biggest Increase
Dec. 17, 2002 -- More Americans are now getting screened for cancer, but the use of screening tests still depends on a variety of factors like age, education level, and knowledge of cancer risk factors.
A new study shows the use of all cancer screening tests has increased since 1987, and the most dramatic increases have been in the use of mammography. Between 1987 and 1990, the percentage of women who said they received a mammogram nearly doubled from 17% to 33%, and by 1998 that rate had reached 67%.
The results appear in the Dec. 18 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
In their review, study author Robert A. Hiatt, MD, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues collected information on self-reported cancer screening rates from 73 studies that used information provided by the National Health Interview Survey and published between 1980 and 2001.
Researchers use this survey to determine how widely used available cancer screening tests are across the U.S., identify trends, and look at what factors may affect who uses the procedures.
They found age and socioeconomic status appear to be the biggest factors that affect use of cancer screening tests. For example, older people were less likely to be screened for breast and cervical cancer but were more likely to be screened for colorectal cancers than younger adults.
People with a higher level of education were also more likely to be screened for all three of these types of cancer, but women who lived in rural areas were less likely than those in urban areas to have received a mammogram, according to a 1994 survey.
Although some studies have suggested that insurance coverage may affect screening rates for breast and cervical cancers, the study authors say generalizations about insurance coverage and colorectal cancer screening rates are not yet possible.
Knowledge about the risk factors for cancer was also an influential factor. Researchers found women who knew more about cancer prevention or practiced other healthy behaviors such as exercising, conducting breast self-exams, and not smoking were more likely to receive cancer screening, especially mammography.
Researchers say future surveys on cancer screening behavior will also include more information on new and evolving tests, such as genetic testing and prostate cancer screening.
SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Dec. 18, 2002.