New research highlights that just one in seven diagnosed cancers in the United States was found by a recommended screening test.
According to new research from NORC at the University of Chicago, only 14% of cancers in the United States are diagnosed after the patient had a recommended screening test.
The rest were found when someone was already showing symptoms or while receiving medical care for something else.
NORC estimates that 57% of all diagnosed cancers currently do not have a recommended screening test.
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For the four cancers for which there are screenings -- breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung -- many people do not consistently receive recommended screenings.
Experts say it's a reminder to all, including Texans, to prioritize cancer screenings.
"If you look across the various ways we can detect cancer, you can see that Texas is lagging behind the nation. If you look at colonoscopy or stool screenings, we're only 48th in the country for adults between 50 and older. We're 47th in the country for pap smears and we're 39th for up-to-date mammography," said Dr. Ronan Kelly, director of oncology for the Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center and the chief of oncology for the North Texas division of the Baylor Scott & White Health System.
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Kelly is urging Texans to get back to a normal routine for cancer screenings and "not put it off."
"Talk to your primary care doctor and let's get those set up for early in the new year. If you're going to have a new year's resolution, please make it be, 'let me get up to date with my cancer screenings," Kelly added.
