Percentage of adults 50-75 years of age who had appropriate screening for colorectal cancer

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Colorectal cancer represents eight percent of all new cancer cases in the United States. In 2020, there were an estimated 147,950 new cases of colorectal cancer and an estimated 53,200 deaths attributed to it. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 4.2 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer at some point during their lifetimes. For most adults, older age is the most important risk factor for colorectal cancer, although being male and black are also associated with higher incidence and mortality. Colorectal cancer is most frequently diagnosed among people 65 to 74 years old (National Cancer Institute, 2020).

Screening can be effective for finding precancerous lesions (polyps) that could later become malignant, and for detecting early cancers that can be more easily and effectively treated. Precancerous polyps usually take about 10 to 15 years to develop into colorectal cancer, and most can be found and removed before turning into cancer. The five-year relative survival rate for people whose colorectal cancer is found in the early stage before it has spread is about 90 percent (American Cancer Society, 2020).

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2016) recommends screening for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 years and continuing until age 75 years. This is a Grade A recommendation (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2016). Appropriate screenings are defined by any one of the following: -Colonoscopy (every 10 years) -Flexible sigmoidoscopy (every 5 years) -Fecal occult blood test (annually) -FIT-DNA (every 3 years) -Computed tomographic colonography (every 5 years)