2021 USPSTF Recommendation Boosted Colorectal Cancer Screening

FRIDAY, Oct. 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Uptake of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening increased after the 2021 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation that all average-risk individuals aged 45 to 49 years should receive screening, according to a study published online Oct. 3 in JAMA Network Open.

Sunny Siddique, M.P.H., from the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues evaluated changes in CRC screening uptake among average-risk individuals aged 45 to 49 years following the 2021 USPSTF recommendation. The analysis included claims data from 10 million commercially insured Blue Cross Blue Shield beneficiaries (2017 through 2022).

The researchers found that mean screening uptake increased from 0.50 to 1.51 percent from before the recommendation to after the recommendation. While there was an absolute change of 1.01 percentage points, there was no significant relative change. Beneficiaries residing in areas with the highest socioeconomic status experienced the largest absolute change in screening (1.25 percentage points versus 0.75 percentage points for areas with the lowest socioeconomic status), but these relative changes were not significant. After the recommendation, the screening uptake rate increased fastest among average-risk beneficiaries residing in the areas with highest socioeconomic status (0.24 percentage points every two months) and metropolitan areas (0.20 percentage points every two months).

“Although CRC screening was expectedly higher among high-risk individuals, the twofold increase in screening among average-risk beneficiaries suggests a shift in the screening paradigm of this newly included age group,” the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial