Use of Cancer-Screening Services Among Persons With Serious Mental Illness in Sacramento County

This study examined the use of breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer-screening services by persons with serious mental illness enrolled in the Sacramento County Mental Health clinics. Of 387 outpatients approached from January 2005 to May 2007, 229 were interviewed. Whereas 97% of the women had received cervical cancer screening at least once in their lifetime, more than 50% of eligible persons over age 50 had never received colorectal cancer screening. Recent use of screening services was highest for cervical cancer (69% had had a Pap test in the past three years) and lowest for colorectal cancer (12% had had a fecal occult blood stool test in the past year or a flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy in the past five years). Among persons with serious mental illness, lifetime screening of cervical cancer was higher than for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. Receipt of routine, timely cancer screening was low, especially for colorectal cancer.