A new study shows that only 14.1% of diagnosed cancers are detected by screening with a recommended screening test.
The nonprofit research organization NORC at the University of Chicago shared a report on Wednesday (December 14), which stated that the majority of diagnosed cancers are found once the patient has shown symptoms or seeks imaging or medical care for other reasons.
“I was shocked that only 14% of cancers were detected by screening. I think, for many people, we talk so much about cancer screening that we imagine that that’s how all cancers are diagnosed. We talk about mammograms and colonoscopies all the time,” said Caroline Pearson, an author of the report and senior vice president at the organization, via CNN.
Pearson added that "the vast majority of cancer types don’t have screening tests available."
Only breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancers have screening tests recommended for use by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, according to the report published by NORC at the University of Chicago, which has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The data showed that 61% of breast, 52% of cervical, 45% of colorectal and 3% of lung cancers were detected by screening.
Additionally, the study showed that 77% of prostate cancers are detected by screening, though screening for prostate cancer isn't broadly recommended.
The report is based on data from 2017, though Pearson said studies have shown that the rate of cancer screenings have since declined, which includes a drop since the beginning of the COVID-19 and that new data could be even lower.
“I definitely think that the percent of cancers detected by screening would have been lower as a result of the pandemic. We know that people missed a tremendous number of recommended screenings, and we are seeing those cancers showing up at later stages in clinical settings,” Pearson said via CNN. “So with the reduction in screenings, we get fewer cancers diagnosed that way, and that is certainly something that we would pick up in the data.”