Reducing disparities and achieving health equity in colorectal cancer screening

Tech Innov Gastrointest Endosc. 2023;25(3):284-296. doi: 10.1016/j.tige.2023.02.007. Epub 2023 Mar 1.

Abstract

Increases in colorectal cancer screening are linked to the declining incidence of the disease over the past three decades. These favorable trends, however, are not observed in marginalized racial and ethnic populations with disproportionately lower rates of screening, higher disease incidence, and increased mortality despite advances in health technology and policy. This review describes the differences in screening uptake and test selection amongst racial and ethnic groups, discusses known obstacles and facilitators that impact screening, and highlights existing frameworks developed to achieve health equity in colorectal cancer screening.

Keywords: colorectal cancer; disparities; equity; race/ethnicity; screening.