Breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening rates significantly lower for millions of U.S. adults with disabilities
· Medical Xpressedited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Missing routine cancer screening tests can lead to critical delays in diagnosis and treatment. A new study by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) shows that millions of U.S. adults with disabilities who are eligible for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening have lower testing rates than people without disability-related difficulties. However, stool testing for colorectal cancer was 24% higher among individuals with substantial mobility difficulties, suggesting that accessible testing options, including at-home self-collection, may help address disparities.
The study was published in Cancer.
"We know that individuals with disabilities have lower screening levels generally, but the magnitude of some disparities that showed up consistently gave cause for alarm, particularly for people struggling with self-care disabilities," said Dr. Priti Bandi, scientific director of cancer risk factors and screening surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and senior author of the study.
"The bright spot is at-home stool testing. It completely flipped the script on traditional disparities, clearing a potential path for making life-saving care accessible to everyone."
For the study, researchers pooled data from the 2021 and 2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Self-reported breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening was estimated according to disability (vision, hearing, mobility, cognition, communication and self-care) and difficulty levels ("Substantial," "Some," and "None") defined according to the Washington Group Composite Disability Indicator.
Study authors recorded a total of 1,712, 1,147 and 3,106 respondents with disabilities who were eligible for breast, cervical and colorectal screening, translating to 6.02 million, 5.10 million and 11.17 million people, respectively. The results showed:
- Breast and cervical cancer screening prevalence was relatively lower for individuals with self-care (by 31%–37%), vision (by 11%–17%), mobility (by 11%–12%) and cognition difficulties (by 7%–9%) than for those with no difficulties. For example, cervical cancer screening prevalence was 78% among those with no self-care disability, compared with just 37.2% among those with substantial difficulty.
- Individuals with self-care disabilities consistently had the largest disparities. Those with substantial difficulty had 37%, 31% and 15% lower cervical, breast and colorectal cancer screening prevalence, respectively, than those with no self-care disabilities.
- Communication disabilities were uniquely associated with cervical cancer screening, but not with other screening types; prevalence was 35% lower for women with substantial difficulty than for those with no difficulties.
- In contrast to breast and cervical cancer screening, stool testing prevalence for colorectal cancer screening was higher among individuals with higher levels of difficulty across most disability domains.
"We have to break down the barriers stopping individuals with disabilities from getting cancer screening," added Bandi. "At-home options like stool testing show enormous potential to bridge this gap, and we need to actively explore expanded self-sampling tools."
"Ensuring that cancer screenings are accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, is critical to reducing cancer disparities and saving lives," said Lisa A. Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), ACS's advocacy affiliate.
"We must continue to advocate for policies that expand access to cancer screenings, including those that improve coverage for more accessible and innovative testing options, like at-home self-collection, and ensure adequate coverage for follow-up tests and treatment."
Publication details
Cancer (2026). DOI: 10.1002/cncr.70570 , acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wile … l/10.1002/cncr.70570
Journal information: Cancer
Key medical concepts
National Health Interview Survey
Clinical categories
OncologyCommon illnesses & PreventionPreventive medicine Provided by American Cancer Society Who's behind this story?
Sadie Harley
BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →
Andrew Zinin
Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →
Citation: Breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening rates significantly lower for millions of U.S. adults with disabilities (2026, September 11) retrieved 11 September 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-breast-cervical-colorectal-cancer-screening.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.