UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Missouri. Nearly 60% of those deaths could be prevented if everyone aged 50 or older received regular colorectal cancer screening. The objective of this study is to describe trends and racial disparities in colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 50 or older in Missouri during 1999-2004. The information is valuable for colorectal cancer-related program planning and evaluation in the State of Missouri.

Methods: We used data from the 1999-2004 Missouri Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the 2003 Missouri County-level Survey. We calculated the prevalence of self-reported colorectal cancer screening practices among adults aged 50 or older, stratified by race/ethnicity. We used multiple logistic regression to control for socio-demographic variables.

Results: From 1999 to 2004, the prevalence of ever having sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy increased 38.9% from 38.0% in 1999 to 52.8% in 2004. The prevalence of having a sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy in the past five years increased 62.0% from 26.6% in 1999 to 43.1% in 2004. The prevalence of ever having a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or having a FOBT within the last year fluctuated during 1999-2004, but did not change significantly. The crude prevalence of colorectal cancer screening was not significantly different across racial/ethnic groups. However, after adjusting for socio-demographic variables, compared to non-Hispanic whites, English-speaking Hispanics were more likely to have sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy in the past five years (OR=2.5, 95% CI: 1.1–5.0); non-Hispanic blacks were more likely to have FOBT in the last year (OR=2, 95% CI: 1.1-3.3).