According to a study at the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine, the rate of cancer screening in the United States has fallen over the last decade, reports Medical Xpress.
The study shows among the cancer survivors, blue-collar workers had lower screening rates than the white-collar workers. Lead author Tainya Clarke, M.P.H., research associate in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, hopes a change in job-related policies and promote equality among different professions of employed cancer survivors.
The study focused on screening adherence rates for different types of cancer and compared those screening rates among the general population of all cancer survivors to that of employed survivors. Clarke and her team also noted if the government recommended screening goals were achieved.
"There is a great need for increased cancer prevention efforts in the U.S., especially for screening as it is considered one of the most important preventive behaviors and helps decrease the burden of this disease on society in terms of quality of life, the number of lives lost and insurance costs," Clarke said, according to Medical Xpress report. "But despite this, our research has shown that adherence rates for cancer screenings have generally declined with severe implications for the health outlook of our society."
The results showed that the general public did not meet the government recommended screening goals for all types of cancer including breast, cervical and prostate cancers except for colorectal cancer where 54 percent of the general public went through required screening, which exceeded the 50 percent target of government's "Healthy People 2010" national health promotion and disease prevention initiative.
The study further showed that people who are at a higher risk of developing cancer underwent required screenings for all types of cancer except cervical cancer. It also showed that the rate of cervical cancer screening is reduced to 78 percent over the past ten years.
The study published 27 December in the open-access journal Frontiers in Cancer Epidemiology.
