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Exclusion of older adults from many screening studies and the variable benefits derived from screening when underlying chronic diseases are present have led to uncertainty about what cancer screening rates are “right” for elders. Researchers used data from a U.S. nationwide in-person interview survey to assess cancer screening rates in nearly 50,000 adults (including 1697 who were aged 75–79 and 2376 who were ≥80).
For breast cancer screening, 50% of women 80 and older underwent mammography versus 62% of those who were 75 to 79 and 74% of those who were 50 to 74. For colorectal cancer screening, rates were 47% for participants who were 80 and older, 57% for those who were 75 to 79, and 48% for those who were 50 to 74. Prostate-specific antig…