Findings show which age groups are seeing the biggest increases

ATLANTA, Oct. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, a leading provider of data and analytics, released new insights on breast and colon cancer screening and diagnosis trends from 2021 to 2023. As the U.S. Preventive Services Special Task Force (USPSTF) continues to examine and lower the age recommendations for breast cancer and colorectal cancer screenings, this analysis explores how these guidelines are impacting preventive care.

Even though the USPSTF didn't officially lower the age recommendation for breast cancer screenings from 50 to 40 until April 2024, mammograms among adults in their 40s have been trending up for the last three years. De-identified medical claims data from LexisNexis® MarketView™ show a 10.3% increase in mammograms for this age group from 2021 to 2023. Additionally, mammograms among people in their 30s saw an even bigger percent increase, with 12.5% more mammograms in 2023 than in 2021.

The data analysis also revealed an increase in breast cancer diagnoses with the largest increases being among people in their 30s and people over 70. Breast cancer diagnoses among people in their 30s increased by 4%, which is twice the percent increase in breast cancer diagnoses across all ages. Breast cancer diagnoses among people over 70 increased by 5.7%, representing more than 100,000 additional breast cancer diagnoses.

USPSTF lowered the recommend age for colon cancer screenings from 50 to 45 in May 2021, and the data shows this new age group is responding to the updated guidance. Colonoscopies among people between 45 and 50 years old increased 90% from 2021 to 2023. Comparatively, colonoscopies among all other age groups increased by 16%.

Additionally, the analysis examined the latest utilization trends of at-home, non-invasive colon cancer screening tests, including stool DNA-based tests and a fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Overall, these tests are trending down, indicating a potential pullback from high pandemic-driven utilization. However, utilization among people in their 40s is up 30.5% for DNA-based tests and 19.7% for FIT between 2021 and 2023.

"These insights demonstrate the importance of timely and consistent population health monitoring. Using up-to-date claims data empowers healthcare organizations to examine policy change, healthcare delivery trends, and more effectively design programs that improve engagement and participation in preventive care, such as cancer screenings," said Diana Zuskov, associate vice president of healthcare strategy and innovation at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. "New innovations, such as non-invasive direct to consumer testing, show promise in improving the patient experience while also expanding reach and access to preventive care. Timely data on how patients are impacted by changing guidelines and healthcare innovation is critical to removing barriers to care and addressing health disparities among groups with limited access to care."

Click here to view the complete data analysis.

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LexisNexis Risk Solutions harnesses the power of data and advanced analytics to provide insights that help businesses and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. We provide data and technology solutions for a wide range of industries including insurance, financial services, healthcare and government. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of RELX (LSE: REL/NYSE: RELX), a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers. For more information, please visit www.risk.lexisnexis.com and www.relx.com.

Media Contact: 

Syed Shabbir

Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications

LexisNexis Risk Solutions  

816-572-7709  

syed.shabbir@lexisnexisrisk.com

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SOURCE LexisNexis Risk Solutions