Just 14% of diagnosed cancers are found through screening

• Previous research has shown screenings were significantly affected by the pandemic, with providers reporting patients being diagnosed with later-stage cancers after putting off screening during lockdowns.

Be smart: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening tests for breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer, which all told account for 37% of all cancer deaths in the U.S.

• The incidence and screening rates vary widely: 61% of breast cancers are detected by screening, while just 3% of lung cancers are.
• Prostate cancer testing isn't widely recommended because of overdiagnosis.
• 57% of all diagnosed cancers currently do not have a recommended screening test.

By the numbers: States with the highest percentages of cancers detected by screenings include Arizona (16.8%), New Mexico (16.6%) and Florida (16.2%).

• Arkansas and Louisiana had among the lowest, both at 12%.

The bottom line: "Cancer treatments have vastly improved over the last few decades, but the health system’s ability to screen for cancer ... still has a long way to go," said Caroline Pearson, senior vice president at NORC.