A new paper in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute , published by Oxford University Press, finds that eliminating the race disparity in colon cancer testing in the United States would reduce colon cancer, and colon cancer death rates, dramatically among Black people. Colorectal cancer rates and deaths from the disease have decreased over time, but racial disparities remain and are significant. Compared to White Americans, Black Americans experience higher rates of colorectal cancer incidence and lower survival rates.
Black adults are approximately 23% more likely to receive a colorectal cancer diagnosis than White adults. They are also about 31% more likely to die from the disease. Researchers have previously identified screening adherence as the main driver of racial disparities in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality.
A 2005 study using data from National Health Interview Survey of adults over 50 showed that 52% of White people were up to date on colorectal cancer screenings but only 39% of Black people were up to date. The gap has narrowed in recent years and rates have improved overall. In 2019 69.
5% of Black people and 69.8% of White people were keeping up with their screenings. Yet persistent Black-White disparities in colorectal cancer incidence, mortality, and survival remain.
The benefits of colorectal cancer screening programs rely on patients completing a follow-up colonoscopy if doctors first discover an abnormal result in the initial non-colonoscopy.