Cancer screening
Intervention5 papers10 findings
Human studies link cancer screening to earlier-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis and lower colorectal and breast cancer mortality. One human study reports lower mortality in stage III colorectal cancer but no effect in stage I; a review describes reduced cancer mortality.
C · W · M · H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.
Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.
Against: findings that point the other way from most findings on the same outcome.
No results posted: trials that ended more than a year ago with no results on ClinicalTrials.gov and no paper in ARN’s record.
Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.
Funders: University of Melbourne and others
- Humans5
Outcomes
4Mortality
no changein humans1downin humans1HR 0.56–0.62
1 study
Mortality
no changein humans1downin humans1HR 0.56–0.62
Cancer screening has no effect on mortality in humans (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.30-1.28; p = 0.19).
Humansstage I colorectal cancer
Impact of the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program on Stage at Diagnosis and Stage-Specific Survival in Colorectal Cancer · ANZ journal of surgery · 18 Sep 2026
Cancer screening decreases mortality in humans (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.34-0.92; p = 0.02).
Humansstage III colorectal cancer
Impact of the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program on Stage at Diagnosis and Stage-Specific Survival in Colorectal Cancer · ANZ journal of surgery · 18 Sep 2026
Cancer mortality
downin humans1
1 study
Cancer mortality
downin humans1
Cancer screening decreases cancer mortality in humans.
Review
Overcoming inequity in cancer screening: Can modern technologies close the gap? · Critical reviews in oncology/hematology · 22 Sep 2026
Breast cancer mortality
downin humans1
1 study
Breast cancer mortality
downin humans1
Cancer screening decreases breast cancer mortality in humans.
HumansCzech nationwide screening
Cancer screening programmes in the Czech Republic and their results · Klinicka onkologie : casopis Ceske a Slovenske onkologicke spolecnosti · 1 Jan 2026
Colorectal cancer mortality
downin humans1
1 study
Colorectal cancer mortality
downin humans1
Cancer screening decreases colorectal cancer mortality in humans.
HumansCzech nationwide screening
Cancer screening programmes in the Czech Republic and their results · Klinicka onkologie : casopis Ceske a Slovenske onkologicke spolecnosti · 1 Jan 2026
Associations
4Earlier stage at diagnosis
upin humans1
1 study
Earlier stage at diagnosis
upin humans1
Cancer screening is associated with earlier stage at diagnosis in humans (38.6% vs. 18.0%, p < 0.001).
Humanscolorectal cancer
Impact of the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program on Stage at Diagnosis and Stage-Specific Survival in Colorectal Cancer · ANZ journal of surgery · 18 Sep 2026
Lead time
upin humans1
1 study
Lead time
upin humans1
Cancer screening is associated with lead time in humans (1.8 years (95% CI, 1.3 to 2.9)).
Humansprogressive cancers in Slovenian breast cancer screening programme
Estimating lead time and overdiagnosis in cancer screening programmes: the MOCCI method · International journal of epidemiology · 18 Aug 2026
Overdiagnosis
upin humans1
1 study
Overdiagnosis
upin humans1
Cancer screening is associated with overdiagnosis in humans (33% (95% CI, 25% to 43%)).
Humansin Slovenian breast cancer screening programme
Estimating lead time and overdiagnosis in cancer screening programmes: the MOCCI method · International journal of epidemiology · 18 Aug 2026
Non-progressive cases
upin humans1
1 study
Non-progressive cases
upin humans1
Cancer screening is associated with non-progressive cases in humans (30% (95% CI, 20% to 39%)).
Humansin Slovenian breast cancer screening programme
Estimating lead time and overdiagnosis in cancer screening programmes: the MOCCI method · International journal of epidemiology · 18 Aug 2026
Upstream
1Oncology specialty
no changein humans1
1 study
Oncology specialty
no changein humans1
Oncology specialty has no effect on cancer screening in humans.
Humanscompared to non-oncology related specialties
Personal and family application of cancer prevention practices among physicians · Scientific reports · 18 Aug 2026
Funding
National Cancer InstituteUS$55.3mVeterans AffairsNational Institute on Minority Health and Health DisparitiesUS$4.6m112 grants since 2011
Cancer screening validation study design using optimal two-phase sampling schemes
National Cancer InstituteUniversity of South FloridaUS$150k2026–2028
Creating a Veteran's specific risk model to improve lung cancer screening
National Cancer InstituteUniversity of Colorado, DenverUS$123.1k2026–2028
National Cancer InstituteBasic Health InternationalUS$1.5m2024–2029
Enhancing Cervical Cancer Screening through Integrated Care in Rural North Carolina
National Cancer InstituteUniv of North Carolina Chapel HillUS$607.4k2026–2031
National Cancer InstituteComprehensive Cancer Center/ Univ/prUS$17.7k2023–2028
Agency for Healthcare Research and QualityUniversity of California Los AngelesUS$243.4k2022–2027
mSaada: A Mobile Health Tool to Improve Cervical Cancer Screening in western Kenya
National Cancer InstituteDuke UniversityUS$42.2k2022–2027
Facilitation of Information Exchange for Shared Decision Making for Lung Cancer Screening
National Cancer InstituteUniv of Massachusetts Med Sch WorcesterUS$230k2023–2028
National Cancer InstituteUniversity of California Los AngelesUS$1.8m2024–2029