Limitations in US Cancer Screening Rate Data and Opportunities to Improve Precision Prevention

Background

Cancer screening is central to cancer control and an increasingly important component of personalized medicine, enabling risk-adaptive prevention, earlier detection, and more tailored intervention strategies. However, screening participation varies widely across tumor types, populations, and geographic regions in the United States. Although screening rate data are widely used to guide clinical recommendations, policy, advocacy, and early detection innovation, the underlying data ecosystem remains fragmented and poorly characterized. Screening rates are commonly derived from surveys, electronic health records (EHRs), and claims data, each with limitations that may misrepresent true screening participation and hinder efforts to improve early detection. This study evaluated the current cancer screening data ecosystem to characterize key limitations and identify actionable solutions.