The Importance of Cancer Screening

The burden of cancer in the United States is substantial, providing important opportunity and obligation for primary care clinicians to promote cancer prevention and early detection. Without a system of organized screening to support reminders and follow-up of cancer screening, primary care clinicians face challenges in addressing risk assessment, informed/shared decision making, reminders for screening, and tracking adherence to screening recommendations. Tools exist for collecting information about family history, tracking screening adherence, and reminding patients when they are due for screening, and strategies exist for making cancer prevention and early detection an office policy and delegating roles and responsibilities to office staff.