Background on Screening for Breast, Cervical and Colorectal Cancers

• In 2004, the last year for which complete data are available, cancer was the second leading cause of all age-adjusted deaths among those in the U.S.
  
  
• According to the U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group:
  • more than 1,342,000 people were diagnosed with cancer, and
  • more than 553,000 people died of cancer, including
    • 40,954 women and 362 men from breast cancer
    • 26,699 women and 26,881 men from colorectal cancer
    • 3,850 women from cervical cancer
      
      
• According to a 2003 report from the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine, the following cancer deaths could be prevented each year if all eligible Americans received screening services as recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF):
  • 4,475 deaths from breast cancer
  • 3,644 deaths from cervical cancer
  • 9,632 deaths from colorectal cancer
    
    
• A report from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey of U.S. adults indicated that:
  • 67% of women 40 years of age or older reported having mammograms within the previous two years
  • 78% of women aged 18 or older reported Pap tests within the previous three years, and
  • 50% of adults aged 50 years reported ever having screening endoscopies, while only 17% reported having a fecal occult blood test within the previous two years.