CDC Releases Report on Colorectal Cancer
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Vital Signs: Colorectal Cancer Screening, Incidence, and Mortality – United States, 2002–2010 with current data on colorectal cancer screening, incidence, and mortality. Promoting prevention through screening tests, the report provides information on incidence and mortality.
The study used 2002–2010 data from the state-level Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to determine the number of people aged 50–75 years who were screened for colorectal cancer. Findings indicate that colorectal cancer screening increased from 52 percent in 2002 to 65 percent in 2010. Still, one in three adults has not had potentially lifesaving colorectal cancer screening tests.
Significant highlights include—
- The rate of new cases of colorectal cancer fell from 52.3 per 100,000 in 2003 to 45.4 per 100,000 in 2007, representing nearly 66,000 fewer cancers. The colorectal cancer death rate fell from 19.0 per 100,000 in 2003 to 16.7 per 100,000 in 2007, representing nearly 32,000 fewer deaths.
- The estimated direct medical cost of colorectal cancer care was $14 billion in 2010.
- Most states had decreases in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality consistent with improvements in screening. Generally, colorectal cancer incidence and mortality were higher in the Midwest and South.
- North Dakota reported the highest colorectal cancer incidence rate (56.9 per 100,000), while Utah reported the lowest (34.3 per 100,000).
- Washington, DC reported the highest colorectal cancer death rate (21.1 per 100,000), while Colorado and Montana reported the lowest (14.1 per 100,000).
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