Colorectal Cancer Screening

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In 2019, 67.1% of adults aged 50-75 had received colorectal cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines.

Summary graph for Colorectal Cancer Screening, Click to see detailed view of graph

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Background

In 2016, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended screening for colorectal cancer for adults aged 50 to 75 years, and that adults aged 76 to 85 years should make an individual decision about screening. In May 2021, the USPSTF updated their guidance to lower the recommended screening start age to 45 years. This was based on evidence indicating a trend for increasing risk of colorectal cancer in adult birth cohorts younger than 50 years and statistical modeling suggesting that starting at age 45 years may increase life years gained compared to 50 years.

Regular colorectal cancer screening is important for preventing new colorectal cancers from developing as well as for identifying existing colorectal cancers early - which can reduce the risk of death.  A variety of screening tests can be used to detect colorectal cancer and/or precancerous polyps.

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Measure

Colonoscopy - A procedure where a doctor looks into the rectum and the entire colon using a flexible narrow tube to identify colorectal cancer or precancerous polyps. Used not only as a screening test, colonoscopies are also used as a diagnostic procedure to follow up after positive results from a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT), fecal DNA test, sigmoidoscopy, or CT colonography. The USPSTF suggests a screening colonoscopy once every 10 years.

Computed tomography (CT) colonography (otherwise known as a virtual colonoscopy) - Produces a three-dimensional image of the colon which your doctor examines for colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps. The USPSTF suggests CT colonography once every 5 years.

Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and fecal immunochemical test (FIT) - These tests identify hidden blood in the stool, which can be a sign of cancer. The USPSTF suggests FOBT or FIT annually, using a home-based kit.

Fecal DNA test – In addition to checking for hidden blood in the stool like a FIT, this test also looks for abnormal genetic material that may be a sign of colorectal cancer. The USPSTF suggests fecal DNA testing at least every 3 years.

Sigmoidoscopy - A procedure where a doctor looks into the rectum and part of the colon using a flexible narrow tube to identify colorectal cancer or precancerous polyps. The USPSTF suggests sigmoidoscopy once every 5 years, or once every 10 years when conducted along with FIT every year.

Healthy People 2030 Target

  • Increase to 74.4 percent the proportion of adults aged 50 to 75 years who have received a colorectal screening test based on the most recent guidelines.

Healthy People 2030 is a set of goals set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Note: Goals are indicated as blue line on Detailed Trend Graphs.

Data Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 1987–2019.

Please note that these data were collected while the 2016 USPSTF recommendations were in place. Therefore, the estimates include adults aged 50 to 75 years.

In 2019 the NHIS questionnaire was redesigned to increase relevance, enhance data quality, and minimize respondent burden. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges conducting in-person interviews for the 2020 NHIS, requiring changes to field procedures to conduct most surveys by telephone, which impacted survey response rates. For details related to the potential impacts of these issues, please refer to Potential Impact of NHIS Redesign and COVID-19 on the Cancer Trends Progress Report.

Trends and Most Recent EstimatesHelp with navigating the graphs and data tables

Guideline Screening

By Sex
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who were up-to-date¹ with colorectal cancer screening by sex, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years  who were up-to-date¹ with colorectal cancer screening by sex, 2000-2019 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 67.1 66.1 - 68.1
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 65.7 64.3 - 67.2
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 68.4 67.1 - 69.7
By Race/Ethnicity
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who were up-to-date¹ with colorectal cancer screening by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years  who were up-to-date¹ with colorectal cancer screening by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 67.1 66.1 - 68.1
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 70.1 69.0 - 71.2
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 68.5 65.8 - 71.1
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 54.7 51.3 - 58.0
By Poverty Income Level
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who were up-to-date¹ with colorectal cancer screening by poverty income level, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years  who were up-to-date¹ with colorectal cancer screening by poverty income level, 2000-2019 <200% of federal poverty levelClick to see the detailed trend graph for <200% of federal poverty level 55.4 53.3 - 57.5
>=200% of federal poverty levelClick to see the detailed trend graph for >=200% of federal poverty level 71.3 70.2 - 72.3
By Education Level
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who were up-to-date¹ with colorectal cancer screening by highest level of education obtained, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years  who were up-to-date¹ with colorectal cancer screening by highest level of education obtained, 2000-2019 Less than High SchoolClick to see the detailed trend graph for Less than High School 50.7 47.2 - 54.3
High SchoolClick to see the detailed trend graph for High School 63.7 61.9 - 65.4
Greater than High SchoolClick to see the detailed trend graph for Greater than High School 72.3 71.1 - 73.4
By Contributing Test Type
Breakdown of colorectal screening tests received by adults aged 50-75 years by type of screening test received, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Breakdown of colorectal screening tests received by adults aged 50-75 years by type of screening test received, 2000-2019 Home FOBTClick to see the detailed trend graph for Home FOBT 3.3 3.0 - 3.7
Sigmoidoscopy or ColonoscopyClick to see the detailed trend graph for Sigmoidoscopy or Colonoscopy 63.1 62.1 - 64.2
CT ColonographyClick to see the detailed trend graph for CT Colonography 1.2 1.0 - 1.5
CologuardClick to see the detailed trend graph for Cologuard 2.4 2.1 - 2.8

Home FOBT or FIT

By Sex
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a home fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) within the past year by sex, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a home fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) within the past year by sex, 2000-2019 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 3.3 3.0 - 3.7
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 2.9 2.4 - 3.4
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 3.8 3.2 - 4.4
By Race/Ethnicity
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a home fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) within the past year by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a home fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) within the past year by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 3.3 3.0 - 3.7
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 3.1 2.7 - 3.5
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 2.5 1.7 - 3.7
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 5.1 3.9 - 6.6

Sigmoidoscopy or Colonoscopy

By Sex
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a sigmoidoscopy in the past 5 years or had a colonoscopy in the past 10 years by sex, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a sigmoidoscopy in the past 5 years or had a colonoscopy in the past 10 years by sex, 2000-2019 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 63.1 62.1 - 64.2
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 62.1 60.6 - 63.6
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 64.1 62.7 - 65.5
By Race/Ethnicity
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a sigmoidoscopy in the past 5 years or had a colonoscopy in the past 10 years by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a sigmoidoscopy in the past 5 years or had a colonoscopy in the past 10 years by race/ethnicity, 2000-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 63.1 62.1 - 64.2
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 66.4 65.2 - 67.6
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 65.3 62.5 - 68.0
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 48.8 45.6 - 52.0

CT Colonography

By Sex
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a CT colonography in the past 5 years by sex, 2010-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a CT colonography in the past 5 years by sex, 2010-2019 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 1.2 1.0 - 1.5
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 1.3 1.0 - 1.7
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 1.1 0.8 - 1.5
By Race/Ethnicity
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a CT colonography in the past 5 years by race/ethnicity, 2010-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a CT colonography in the past 5 years by race/ethnicity, 2010-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 1.2 1.0 - 1.5
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 0.9 0.8 - 1.2
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 2.5 1.7 - 3.6
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 2.4 1.5 - 3.9

Fecal DNA Test

By Sex
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a home fecal DNA test in the past 3 years by sex, 2018-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a home fecal DNA test in the past 3 years by sex, 2018-2019 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 2.4 2.1 - 2.8
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 2.3 1.9 - 2.8
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 2.5 2.1 - 3.0
By Race/Ethnicity
Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a home fecal DNA test in the past 3 years by race/ethnicity, 2018-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who had a home fecal DNA test in the past 3 years by race/ethnicity, 2018-2019 All RacesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 2.4 2.1 - 2.8
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 2.6 2.2 - 3.1
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 2.8 1.8 - 4.3
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 1.6 0.9 - 2.6

Additional Information on Colorectal Cancer Screening

Year Range

2000-2019

Recent Summary Trend Year Range

2015-2019

Summary Tables

Breast and Cervical Cancers

Recent Summary Trend

Rising

Desired Direction

Rising