Few Newly Eligible Younger Adults Are Undergoing CRC Screening

TUESDAY, Dec. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Among adults aged 45 to 49 years who are newly eligible for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, there are no significant differences in screening uptake in adjusted analyses, according to a study published online Nov. 9 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.Katherine L. Chen, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues used data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine associations between unmet social needs and CRC testing and modality among adults aged 45 to 49 years following updated U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations.The researchers found that 22.5 percent of 13,251 respondents aged 45 to 49 years had initiated CRC testing since the USPSTF recommendation update. In unadjusted models, food insecurity and increased number of unmet social needs were associated with lower CRC testing uptake. In adjusted models, no significant differences were seen in CRC testing by social needs status. In adjusted models, transportation insecurity was associated with lower use of colonoscopy among those tested."Amid the rising incidence of colorectal cancer at younger age, we have identified a critical need for interventions designed to increase screening uptake among all persons between ages 45 and 49," Chen said in a statement. "Media campaigns to increase awareness of the new recommendations and health policies that enhance overall access to preventive care are likely to be needed to find more cases of colorectal cancer early when it is most treatable."One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Few Newly Eligible Younger Adults Are Undergoing CRC Screening

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