CDC: Too many cancers diagnosed late

ATLANTA, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Almost half of the U.S. colorectal and cervical cancer cases and one-third of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in the late stages, health officials say.

A report by the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention in Atlanta documents the incidence of late-stage cancer diagnosis and cancer screening prevalence.

Dr. Marcus Plescia, director of the division of cancer prevention and control, and colleagues examined stage-specific cancer incidence rates and screening prevalence for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer using cancer registries, the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program.

The study says:

-- Late-stage colorectal cancer increased with age and was highest among black men and women.

-- Late-stage breast cancer was highest among women ages 70-79 and black women.

-- Late-stage cervical cancer was highest among women ages 50-79 and Hispanic women.

"This report causes concern because so many preventable cancers are not being diagnosed when treatment is most effective," Plescia says in a statement. "More work is needed to widely implement evidence-based cancer screening tests which may lead to early detection and, ultimately, an increase in the number of lives saved."

The study was published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.