Cancer Screening Efforts Lag Behind Goals, Disparities Among Minoritized Communities Persist

Strategic Insights -

Cancer screening efforts have lagged behind the goals set out by Healthy People initiatives, with large health disparities among minoritized communities. The research, conducted at the University of Wisconsin Madison, highlights the need to close care gaps through targeted screening program efforts. Lung cancer, the cancer with the highest mortality rate in US women, also has the lowest participation in screening programs. Tobacco use cessation is key to improving mortality from lung cancer, but improving lung cancer screening rates in appropriate patients may be beneficial.

Key Takeaways:

  • Cancer screening efforts have lagged behind the goals set out by Healthy People initiatives, with only 52% of women screened for lung cancer in 2020 (Cancer Screening In Women. Primary Care, 2025;52(2):233-248).
  • Lung cancer is the cancer with the highest mortality rate in US women, with a 5-year survival rate of 22.2% compared to 63.5% for breast cancer (American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Statistics, 2025).
  • Minoritized communities face significant barriers to cancer screening, including lack of access to healthcare, language barriers, and cultural mistrust (Closing the Gap: Facing Health Inequities in Cancer Care, 2020).
  • A new multicancer early detection option, yet to be approved by the FDA, may soon be available, which detects novel DNA methylation patterns shared among multiple cancer subtypes (Cancer Screening In Women. Primary Care, 2025;52(2):233-248).
  • Tobacco use cessation is key to improving mortality from lung cancer, with non-smokers having a 5-year survival rate of 56.3% compared to 22.2% for smokers (American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Statistics, 2025).
  • Innovative technology, such as the new multicancer early detection option, as well as other strategies, may shift cancer screening toward a more equitable landscape (Cancer Screening In Women. Primary Care, 2025;52(2):233-248).

Statistics:

  • 52% of women were screened for lung cancer in 2020 (Cancer Screening In Women. Primary Care, 2025;52(2):233-248).
  • 5-year survival rate for lung cancer is 22.2% for US women (American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Statistics, 2025).
  • 63.5% 5-year survival rate for breast cancer (American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Statistics, 2025).
  • 56.3% 5-year survival rate for non-smokers with lung cancer (American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Statistics, 2025).

Sources:

  • Cancer Screening In Women. Primary Care, 2025;52(2):233-248.
  • American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Statistics, 2025.
  • Closing the Gap: Facing Health Inequities in Cancer Care, 2020.
  • NewsRx. New Lung Cancer Findings Has Been Reported by Investigators at University of Wisconsin Madison (Cancer Screening In Women). Health & Medicine Week. July 18, 2025; p 2876.