Screening Research

In a review of 33 cancer screening guidelines, researchers have found that many don’t adequately capture the potential harms of cancer screening. Providing information on harms is critical so people can have informed discussions about screening with their health care providers, the researchers noted.

Many hospitals and community health centers are trying to increase cancer screening rates after the COVID pandemic caused them to plummet. The largest effort aims to add a total of 70,000 additional monthly screening tests over a 6-month period.

People who had a positive FIT result (signs of blood in the stool) but didn’t get a follow-up colonoscopy were twice as likely to die of colorectal cancer as those who did get a colonoscopy, a new study found.

Regular skin cancer screening leads to many diagnoses of very early-stage melanomas, results from a new study suggest. The results add to a debate about whether screening is fueling an overdiagnosis of melanoma in the United States.

Progress has been made on developing noninvasive tests that may be able to find many cancers early. But, as NCI’s Dr. Phil Castle explains, there’s still much to learn about these multi-cancer early detection tests before they become widely used.

Researchers have been developing artificial intelligence (AI) tools that could make cancer imaging faster, more accurate, and more informative. But there are also questions about whether these tools are ready for doctors’ offices, whether they will actually help people, and whether that benefit will reach all—or only some—patients.

The rates of timely cervical cancer screening fell between 2005 and 2019, researchers found, and disparities existed among groups of women. The most common reason for not receiving timely screening was lack of knowledge about screening or not knowing they needed screening.

Screening people for colorectal cancer after age 75 may be beneficial, a new study suggests. The findings provide helpful information for physicians to use in discussing screening choices with their older patients.

Combining text messaging with mailing people free at-home FIT kits helped increase screening for colorectal cancer among a predominantly Black population, a new study has found. It’s part of a larger effort to reduce disparities in cancer screening.

After a steep drop in screening for common cancers early in the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are now exploring ways to improve cancer screening during the current crisis and beyond.

Updated cervical cancer screening guidelines from the American Cancer Society recommend HPV testing as the preferred approach. NCI’s Dr. Nicolas Wentzensen explains the changes and how they compare with other cervical cancer screening recommendations.

Many older adults are being screened for cancer who no longer need to be, a new study shows. Based on a nationwide survey, the study found that at least half of older US adults had received at least one unnecessary cancer screening test in the previous few years.

A blood test combined with imaging tests detected tumors—some at an early stage—in women with no history of cancer or symptoms, a recent study showed. The test also mistakenly indicated some women had cancer when further testing showed they didn't.

Clinical recommendations on who should be screened for lung cancer may need to be reviewed when it comes to African Americans who smoke, findings from a new study suggest.

In everyday medical care, there may be more complications from invasive diagnostic procedures performed after lung cancer screening than has been reported in large studies.

A new test can help to improve the clinical management of women who screen positive for HPV infection during routine cervical cancer screening, an NCI-led study has shown.

Cancer screening studies have shown that more screening does not necessarily translate into fewer cancer deaths. This article explains how to interpret the statistics used to describe the results of screening studies.

Colorectal cancer screening reduces deaths from the disease, yet about one-third of Americans aren’t up to date with screening. Learn what happened when people waiting for routine checkups used an app that allowed them to order their own screening test.

An analysis of data from a demonstration project led by the Veterans Health Administration may help to better define who is most likely to benefit from lung cancer screening.

A large nationwide clinical trial called TMIST has been launched to compare two techniques used for mammograms: tomosynthesis, often called 3D mammography, and standard 2D digital mammography.

Proactive, low-tech outreach approaches can help increase the number of people who get screened for colorectal cancer with a colonoscopy or home stool test and complete the appropriate follow-up.

A new blood test that measures levels of two specific proteins may be able to accurately detect pancreatic cancer at its earliest stages, when it is most likely to respond to treatment, findings from a new study suggest.

A new NCI study demonstrates the feasibility of a comprehensive screening protocol for patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare inherited disorder that leads to a higher risk of developing certain cancers.

A demonstration project by the Veterans Health Administration is highlighting some of the complexities and challenges associated with the expansion of lung cancer screening in the United States.

People previously treated for melanoma can team up with a spouse, family member, or a friend and be trained to find new melanomas, a new study shows.

A blog post on a modeling study from NCI researchers suggesting that individualized, risk-based selection of ever-smokers for lung cancer screening may prevent more lung cancer deaths compared with current screening recommendations.

Experts are convening for a conference on the dilemmas posed by overdiagnosis in many types of diseases. Overdiagnosis is generally defined as the diagnosis of a disease or condition that is unlikely to ever cause harm.