Non-compliance with cancer screening requirements depends on the type of screening

Cancer screening noncompliance and timing depends on the type of screening and the patient’s gender, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

Ami E. Sedani, PhD, MPH, of the University of Texas at Houston, and colleagues examined the relationship between individual-level social risks and refusal of physician-recommended cancer screenings in a cross-sectional study using 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 39 U.S. states.

The analysis included 147,922 individuals representing a weighted sample of 78,784,149 U.S. adults. The researchers found that reluctance to be screened for cervical cancer (CC) and breast cancer (BC) was associated with dissatisfaction with life. Lack of support from loved ones led to reluctance to be screened for colorectal cancer (CRC) in men and women, and unwillingness to be screened for breast cancer (BC) in women. Feeling lonely was associated with refusal to be screened for CRC in women and with reluctance to be screened for breast cancer.

An association with severe mental distress was also observed for noncompliance with breast cancer screening.

Food insecurity was associated with an increased risk of not being screened for CRC in men and women, and with not being screened for CC and BC in women. Similar trends were observed for lung cancer (LC) screening, but the rates were not statistically significant.

Lack of confidence in transportation was associated with nonadherence to CRC screening in women (but not men) and nonadherence to BC screening, and increased risk of nonadherence to CRC in men and women, nonadherence to LC screening in women, and nonadherence to breast cancer screening was observed in relation to financial barriers to accessing health care.

“Further studies targeting specific populations are needed to implement effective interventions because social risks do not always match the social needs of patients,” the authors write.

Adatip Hospital TurkeyLeave a request

Liv Hospital Vadistanbul Leave a request

R.E. Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Leave a request

Health Point World Clinic (Dr Soho & Health Point Clinic) Turkey,IstanbulLeave a request

Published: 11.01.2025

Updated: 11.01.2025

Medical author, Medical editor:

Stepan Yuk

Medical expert:

PhD. Olexandr Voznyak