New Age Recommendation Yields Uptake in CRC Screening But Disparities Found

A national cohort study of more than 10 million privately insured people aged 45-49 showed that rates of screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) rose after the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) raised the recommended age for first screening from 50 to 45. Individuals with high socioeconomic status and those living in metropolitan areas experienced the greatest increase, according to a report published in JAMA Network Open.

Investigators affiliated with the Yale School of Medicine conducted this study to shed light on the patterns of screening uptake and possible socioeconomic disparities in screening access among average-risk individuals aged 45 to 49 years during the 20-month periods before and after the USPSTF recommendation was issued in 2021. They used deidentified claims data from Blue Cross Blue Shield beneficiaries between the ages of 45 and 49 years across the US from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2022.

Among 10,221,114 beneficiaries with a mean age of 47.04 years (51.04% female), mean screening uptake increased from 0.50% to 1.51% between the 2 periods (P < .001). Average-risk beneficiaries who lived in areas with the highest socioeconomic status experienced the largest absolute change in screening of 1.25 percentage points vs 0.75 percentage points, the authors noted; however, relative changes were not significant. The rate of screening uptake also increased fastest among average-risk beneficiaries in the highest SES and in metropolitan areas.

Reference:

Siddique S, Wang R, Yasin F, et al. USPSTF colorectal cancer screening recommendation and uptake for individuals aged 45 to 49 years. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(10):e2436358. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.36358