Abstract 3577: A decade of changed behavior: Trends in screening adherence and incidence 2000-2010

Background: Cancer is still one of the most prominent diseases of all times claiming more than 569,490 lives in 2010. Over the past decade the United States (U.S.), like many other industrialized and developed nations have seen a significant decrease in the incidence of cancers and have experienced an increase in the number of cancer survivors. The decrease in incidence can be attributed to an increase in the number of persons adhering to recommended cancer screenings. In 2012, there will be an estimated 1 million newly diagnosed Americans, 75% of who would have adhered to recommended cancer screening in the previous year. Methods: We used incidence data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database (2000 -2008) to assess the trend in incidence rates of some of the most common cancers in the United States. Using SAS version 9.2, we pooled data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) - Cancer Supplements (2000, 2005 and 2010) and analyzed adherence to recommended screening (n= 90,959). The guidelines provided by the American Cancer Society were used to guide analyses. Screening compliance was measured among the appropriate age and sex cohort within the U.S. population. Results: There has been a 17.22% decrease in the incidence of colorectal cancers and a11.06% decrease in lung cancer incidence between 2000 and 2008. While Bladder and Cervical cancer showed no significant time trends, gender specific cancers, namely prostate and breast also showed significant decreases; 16.21% and 6.78% respectively. There was an 18.12% increase in the incidence of Melanoma cases. There was a significant increase in adherence to recommended screening between 2000 and 2010. Adherence to mammography screening guidelines increased two fold between 2000 and 2010 as represented by women interviewed in the NHIS. Similar trends were observed for pap smears and colorectal screenings; 2010 analyses showed 70.48% compliance for mammography, 72.80% for colorectal screening and 68.19% for pap smears. Conclusion: Though screening compliance is below the preferred level, there has been an increase in adherence to recommended screening in the U.S. population over the past decade. This has translated into decreased cancer incidence and an increased prevalence as more persons live beyond the five year survivor mark. Identification of cancers with high incidence rates is needed to direct targeted interventions and public health campaigns. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3577. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3577