ConexiantWomen Overdue for Cancer Screenings

ℹ️ Observational Association Only Evidence

Half of US women aged 45–64 are up to date with all three recommended cancer screenings. An estimated 7.6 million are overdue for multiple screenings simultaneously, with colorectal cancer representing the largest gap at 12.6 million women overdue.

Clinical Considerations

• A past-year wellness visit was the factor most strongly associated with completing all 3 screenings vs remaining partially screened
• Screening gaps overlap substantially: among women overdue for breast cancer screening, 73% were also overdue for cervical and/or colorectal screening
• Women aged 45–49 are disproportionately underscreened for colorectal cancer; 2.4 million in this cohort are overdue despite guidelines recommending initiation at 45
• Insurance coverage and having a regular clinician were independently associated with full screening completion in multivariable analysis

Practice Applications

• Audit overdue screenings at every wellness visit rather than addressing one at a time
• Recognize that 80% of partially screened women had a prior-year wellness visit, signaling missed in-office opportunities
• Consider targeted outreach for women aged 45–49 who may be unaware of updated colorectal screening age thresholds
• Identify patients lacking insurance or a regular clinician as highest-priority for community-based screening navigation