Work

Epidemiology of Colon Cancer Screening in a Safety-Net Setting

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction: This study was aimed to describe the epidemiology of colon cancer screening in an underserved population. This is a cohort study, conducted in a primary care clinic in a safety-net public hospital. Methods: Patients aged 49-78 years were categorized by initial screening status and followed over 28 months. Status was categorized into the following 3 groups with 8 subgroups: screening eligible (up to date or not up to date), non-screening eligible (Personal history of colon cancer, surveillance for colon cancer, work-up in progress, poor health status, and indeterminate), and refusal. Patient egress was defined as no primary care visit for 12 months or <2 primary care visits separated by 60 days over 24 months. Results: =101) went from screening eligible to non-screening eligible, most commonly to surveillance and work-up in progress subgroups. Egress was common; nearly half of patients (47%) were not evaluated owing to egress. Conclusions: Maintaining a colon cancer registry was complex owing to the dynamic nature of screening status and unstable primary care attendance. Regional integration of electronic health records could substantially reduce manual effort.

Source: AJPM Focus

DOI: 10.1016/j.focus.2025.100403

Authors: Ena Mahapatra, Romina Kee, Kyungran Shim, Cathy Rowell, William E. Trick, David Goldberg

Institution: Cook County Health and Hospitals System

Language: English

Topic: Colorectal Cancer Screening and Detection

Subfield: Oncology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,910