The number of people age 50 and older getting screened for colon cancer is on the rise, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, the organization points out that many more Americans at risk are not going in for the recommended screenings.
Based on a telephone survey, the CDC concluded that 63 percent of adults age 50 to 75 were screened for colon cancer in 2008, an increase from the 52 percent who were screened in 2002, the last year data was available. However, the CDC also says if 20 million more Americans were screened, an additional 10,000 lives might be saved every year.
ABC News reports that phone calls, patient support and other promotional tactics are behind the surge in screening procedures. In New York, 18 hospitals rely on “patient navigators,” staff members trained to make phone calls to encourage patients to get screened for colon cancer and educate them about the procedure. Without the phone calls, 60 percent of patients were no-shows for their colonoscopies. With phone calls, the no-show rate dropped to 15 percent. Even lower-cost automated phone calls are effective in upping screening rates, according to a study by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. Published in the July 2010 issue of the journal Medical Care, the study found that screening rates increased by 30 percent when patients who were overdue for a colonoscopy received an automated reminder call.
Furthermore, in Utah, billboards promoting colon cancer screening has led to a 21 percent increase in colonoscopy rates in five years. Meanwhile, in Denver, some doctors have tried to increase screening by offering women facials and massages before a colonoscopy.
The CDC is examining which methods work best to motivate Americans to get colon cancer screenings. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States, with more than 50,000 people dying from the disease each year. However, with regular screenings, the disease can be caught in its earliest stage, when it is 90 percent treatable. Regular screenings are recommended for anyone age 50 and older, though those with risk factors for the disease are encouraged to get screened earlier.
