Cancer Screening Varies by Age Group
Cancer Screening Varies by Age Group
Age Gaps Seen in Screening for Breast, Prostate, Colorectal Cancers
Oct. 5, 2004 -- Age appears to make a difference in who gets screened for cancer, according to a new study.
Anthony F. Jerant, MD, of the family and community medicine department at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, and colleagues studied the connection between age and screening tests for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
They report their findings in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Jerant's team was surprised to find that patients of all ages weren't necessarily making the best use of screening tests.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 88,000 adults age 50 and older who took part in a nationwide phone survey about personal health behaviors in 2001. The survey was a collaboration of the CDC and U.S. states and territories.
Jerant's team focused on common screening tests for breast cancer (mammography), prostate cancer (prostate-specific antigen or PSA screening), and colorectal cancer (fecal occult blood testing (testing the stool for blood), flexible sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy).
In general, mammography was the most used test. Screening for colorectal cancer was used least.
Screening varied among age groups.
Colorectal screening was relatively low at age 50 and increased with age until 70-74. After holding steady for a few years, it declined after age 80.
The finding is "counterintuitive," say the researchers, since the peak age for developing potentially cancerous colon polyps is 55-65 years.
Likewise, PSA screening for prostate cancer increased steadily from age 50 to 75-79 before declining.
Older men may "overuse" the test, since men younger than 70 are more likely to benefit from PSA screening, say the researchers.
The use of mammography to screen for breast cancer peaked at age 55-59 and then decreased.
That puts older women at a disadvantage, say the researchers, noting that the survey only asked women in 13 states and two territories about mammography.
Gains in colorectal cancer screening among people 60 and older were only seen in white survey participants.
However, blacks and Hispanics had higher PSA and mammography screening rates at younger ages than whites.
Cancer Screening Varies by Age Group
Age Gaps Seen in Screening for Breast, Prostate, Colorectal Cancers
Oct. 5, 2004 -- Age appears to make a difference in who gets screened for cancer, according to a new study.
Anthony F. Jerant, MD, of the family and community medicine department at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, and colleagues studied the connection between age and screening tests for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
They report their findings in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Jerant's team was surprised to find that patients of all ages weren't necessarily making the best use of screening tests.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 88,000 adults age 50 and older who took part in a nationwide phone survey about personal health behaviors in 2001. The survey was a collaboration of the CDC and U.S. states and territories.
Jerant's team focused on common screening tests for breast cancer (mammography), prostate cancer (prostate-specific antigen or PSA screening), and colorectal cancer (fecal occult blood testing (testing the stool for blood), flexible sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy).
In general, mammography was the most used test. Screening for colorectal cancer was used least.
Age Patterns
Screening varied among age groups.
Colorectal screening was relatively low at age 50 and increased with age until 70-74. After holding steady for a few years, it declined after age 80.
The finding is "counterintuitive," say the researchers, since the peak age for developing potentially cancerous colon polyps is 55-65 years.
Likewise, PSA screening for prostate cancer increased steadily from age 50 to 75-79 before declining.
Older men may "overuse" the test, since men younger than 70 are more likely to benefit from PSA screening, say the researchers.
The use of mammography to screen for breast cancer peaked at age 55-59 and then decreased.
That puts older women at a disadvantage, say the researchers, noting that the survey only asked women in 13 states and two territories about mammography.
Ethnic Differences
Gains in colorectal cancer screening among people 60 and older were only seen in white survey participants.
However, blacks and Hispanics had higher PSA and mammography screening rates at younger ages than whites.
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