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Healthy Aging - Colorectal Cancer Screening
Indicator 12: Colorectal Cancer Screening
Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer for both men and women and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. More than 90% of cases are diagnosed in people aged 50 or older. In 2002, a total of 70,651 men and 68,883 women received a diagnosis of colorectal cancer, and 28,471 men and 28,132 women died from this disease.(1)
The Healthy People 2010 target for colorectal cancer screening is to increase the proportion of people aged 50 or older who have ever received a sigmoidoscopy to 50%. However, the data included in this report are graded against the current screening recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which are more comprehensive. The Task Force recommends the following screening tests and intervals for adults aged 50 or older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer:
A confidence interval (CI) describes the level of
uncertainty of an estimate and specifies the range in which the true value is
likely to fall. The State of Aging and Health in America online report
uses a 95% level of significance, which means that 95% of the time, the true
value falls within these boundaries.
†
Rankings are based on the relative numeric scores for
each indicator, with a ranking of "1" indicating the highest rank.
‡
Grades are calculated as tertiles (thirds) and show state performance relative
to all other states.
§
2003 data are used for Hawaii because no 2004 data exist.
Note:When comparing
prevalence of variables across states or years, we recommend the use of
confidence intervals. If the confidence intervals overlap, the difference is
not statistically significant.
References:
1. U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. U.S. cancer statistics: 2002 incidence and mortality. National Vital Statistics Report 2004;53(5).
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Colorectal cancer test use among persons aged >50 years—United States, 2001. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2003;52(1);193–196.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA
30333, USA
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