Many adults in the US are not getting the recommended screening tests for colorectal, breast and cervical cancers, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a recent report.

Screening in 2013 for the three mentioned cancers either fell behind previous rates or showed no improvement. Among adults in the age groups recommended for screening, about 1 in 5 women reported not being up-to-date with cervical cancer screening, about 1 in 4 women on breast cancer screening, and about 2 in 5 adults on colorectal cancer screening, the report said.

Colorectal cancer testing was essentially unchanged in 2013 compared with 2010, while the Pap test use in women between 21-65 years was lower than 2000.

The number of mammography screenings was stagnant, showing very little change from previous years, it added.

“It is concerning to see a stall in colorectal cancer screening rates,” said Lisa C. Richardson, director of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. “We must find new ways to make people and providers aware that getting tested for colorectal cancer could prevent cancer and save their lives.”

Researchers reviewed data from the National Health Interview Survey 2013. The screening data for 2013 show that 58.2 per cent of adults age 50-75 years reported being screened for colorectal cancer; 72.6 percent of women age 50-74 had a mammogram; and 80.7 percent of women age 21-65 had a Pap test. All of these percentages are below the Healthy People 2020 targets, the CDC said. The report also found that adults without insurance or a usual source of healthcare generally had the lowest screening tests.

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