HJAR Mar/Apr 2022

40 MAR / APR 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS POLICY COLUMN POLICY Among the cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed and the third deadliest, both in Arkansas and nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Compared to other states, Arkansas ranks high in both cases and deaths: from 2014 to 2018, the state had the fifth-highest average rate of new colorectal cancer cases and the eighth-highest annual average rate of colorectal cancer deaths. 1 Overall rates of colorectal cancer di- agnoses and deaths have been declining Since 2000, March in the U.S. has been designated as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. In this column, I will discuss the importance of early detection of colorectal cancer and recent policy decisions that seek to remove barriers to early detection. under age 65 dropped by an average of 1.1% each year. 2 Disparities in the disease’s impact also exist along racial and ethnic lines. Between 2014 and 2018, national incidence rates were about 15% higher among Black people than amongWhite people, and death rates were about 34% higher among Black individuals. In Arkansas, during the same period, inci- dence rates were about 27% higher among Black people than among White people, and death rates were about 45% higher among Black individuals. 1 Among the factors REMOVING BARRIERS toEarlyDetectionof Colorectal Cancer nationwide since the mid-1980s, in part because of increased screening, but the na- tional declines have mostly occurred among older adults. Between 2014 and 2018, inci- dence rates for people 65 and older dropped by an average of 3.3% each year. Among people younger than 65, however, incidence rates during the same period rose by an av- erage of 0.4% annually. 2 In Arkansas, between 2014 and 2018, colorectal cancer incidence rates among people 65 and older dropped by an average of 2.4% annually, while rates among people