Health officials report dismal detection rates in cancer patients

Health officials report dismal detection rates in cancer patients

A fairly large number of cancers are detected in their advanced stages despite the availability of screening tests that may catch them in early stages, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Nearly one-half of cervical and colorectal malignancies and about one-third of breast cancers in the country are being spotted late when the disease has affected many other body organs. The said cancers are said to have very high survival rates when detected early, health authorities say.

“People need to be aware of what they need to have done medically and follow-up with their providers,” said researcher Dr. Lisa Richardson, the associate director for science in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control of the CDC.

In a statement explaining the findings, the CDC’s Dr. Marcus Plescia said that the findings showed that more must be done in order to detect cancers early and save more lives. “This report causes concern because so many preventable cancers are not being diagnosed when treatment is most effective,” he said.

Richardson and her team pooled and analyzed data from the agency’s National Program of Cancer Registries, its Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute.

The study showed that Blacks had the highest risk of late-stage colorectal cancer. Advanced cervical cancer was most likely diagnosed among Hispanics and 50 to 79-year old women. . Late-stage breast cancer meanwhile was highest among black women and also all women aged 70 to 79.

The Obama administration’s health care reform law makes cancer screening tests more affordable to more patients, and that can lower the incidence of late-stage cancer detection rates health officials say.

Posted by George Daniels on Thursday November 25 2010, 1:50 AM EST. Ref: MSNBC. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0