ATLANTA, July 20 (UPI) -- Among people younger than 65, state regulations for health insurance and medical practitioners are often the culprit for late diagnoses of colorectal and breast cancers, according to a new study.
Researchers said that increased access to care could have an effect on colorectal cancer incidences that have been rising since 1998, as well as on breast cancer rates that have remained relatively stable since 2003.
"Progress has been made in the war against cancer, yet the high proportions of late-stage diagnoses remain a public health concern," researchers from Georgia State University and the University of North Carolina wrote in the study, published in Health Economics Review.
Using statistics from the U.S. Cancer Statistics, researchers reviewed data from roughly 2,300 counties in 40 states with records of breast cancer and colorectal cancer diagnoses. They found that 54 to 60 percent of colorectal cancer diagnoses and 24 to 36 percent of breast cancer diagnoses were later-stage cancers.
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Researchers were able to determine whether late-stage diagnoses were more likely in states based on regulations and guidelines for cancer screening that guide clinical suggestion and insurance coverage for the tests.
Data considered for the study was only recorded up to 2009 because of the 2010 implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which made healthcare services available to a wider array of people and changed some guidelines for care as a result.
"An interesting future research question would be whether the role of area uninsured becomes less important over time," the researchers wrote, "and whether the young-old age discrepancy and interaction with state regulation becomes less pronounced."
