Study Estimates that Nearly Half of Women 45-64 Years of Age are Not Up to Date with Cancer Screening

New research suggests that approximately half of middle-aged women in the United States are overdue for screening for cervical cancer, colorectal cancer or breast cancer, and over 40 percent of the cohort are overdue for multiple cancer screenings.

For the retrospective cross-sectional study, recently published in JAMA Network Open, researchers reviewed screening data for 68,111 women from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, which was conducted in 2024. All women in the cohort were between the ages of 46 to 64 with a median age of 54.8, according to the study. The study authors noted that the cohort was reflective of 17.9 million women in the United States who were overdue for one or more of the aforementioned cancer screenings.

Here are 11 key takeaways from the study.

1. Only 50.3 percent of the cohort were up to date with colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screening.
2. In comparison to White women, American Indians and Asian or Pacific Islander women had a 14 percent reduced likelihood of being up to date on all cancer screenings.
3. Women who had a wellness visit in the past year were twice as likely to be up to date on all cancer screenings.
4. Of the projected 17.9 million women overdue for at least one cancer screening, researchers estimated that 42.4 percent were overdue for multiple cancer screenings.
5. For women overdue for one cancer screening test, 58 percent were overdue for colorectal cancer screening, 22 percent were overdue for breast cancer screening and 20 percent were overdue for cervical cancer screening.
6. For the estimated 12.6 million women overdue for colorectal cancer screening, the study authors noted that greater than 52 percent were also overdue for cervical and/or breast cancer screening.

7. Women with private health insurance were 54 percent more likely to be up to date on all cancer screenings in comparison to those with no health insurance.

8. More than 80 percent of women who were up to date on some but not all cancer screenings had a wellness visit in the past year, according to the study.

9. The study authors noted that an estimated 3.2 million women were overdue for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening.

10. Multivariable analysis suggested that women 60 to 64 years of age were 57 percent more likely and women 50 to 54 years of age were 36 percent more likely to be up to date with all cancer screenings in comparison to women 45 to 50 years of age.

11. Out of an estimated 8.8 million women overdue for breast cancer screening, researchers noted that 72.9 percent were also overdue for colorectal and/or cervical screening.