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How Can We Boost Colorectal and Hepatocellular Cancer Screening Among Underserved Populations?

  • GI Oncology (R Bresalier, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are common causes of cancer incidence and mortality in the USA, particularly among underserved populations such as racial/ethnic minorities, the under-/uninsured, and individuals with low socioeconomic status. Although screening can reduce cancer-related mortality, participation is suboptimal among underserved populations, likely serving as the largest contributor to observed inequities in HCC and CRC outcomes among US populations. In this narrative review, we highlight inequities across populations in the USA with respect to incidence and mortality for CRC and HCC and highlight potential causes, with a focus on screening rates. In addition, drawing from the recent literature, we highlight promising strategies for increasing screening for HCC and CRC and propose future research and policy solutions to optimize screening rates. With focused implementation of screening strategies and novel research, the burden of HCC and CRC can be reduced among underserved populations.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by Merit Review Award number 1 I01 HX001574-01A1 (Gupta, PI) from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development Service of the VA Office of Research and Development. The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This research was also supported by the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (U01CA114657-05 and U54 CA153511).

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

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Conflict of Interest

Melissa Goebel, Amit G. Singal, Jesse Nodora, Sheila Castanada, Elena Martinez, Chyke Doubeni, and Adeyinka Laiyemo declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Samir Gupta has received consultancy fees from Exact Sciences, Guidepoint Global Consulting and Clinical Genomics. Dr. Gupta has also provided expert testimony on behalf of Taylor Blessey. None of these are related to this article.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

Among cited articles where one of the authors of the current report were authors, Local Institutional Review Board approval was obtained and maintained for studies where human subject research was performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Melissa Goebel, Jesse Nodora & Elena Martinez

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Amit G. Singal

  3. Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

    Jesse Nodora & Elena Martinez

  4. Institute for Behavioral and Community Health, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Sheila F. Castañeda

  5. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Chyke Doubeni

  6. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA

    Adeyinka Laiyemo

  7. Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA

    Samir Gupta

  8. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Samir Gupta

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  1. Melissa Goebel
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Correspondence to Samir Gupta.

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Samir Gupta takes responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole from inception to publication.

This article is part of the Topical Collection on GI Oncology

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Goebel, M., Singal, A.G., Nodora, J. et al. How Can We Boost Colorectal and Hepatocellular Cancer Screening Among Underserved Populations?. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 17, 22 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-015-0445-1

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