Cancer Screening Rates and Outcomes for Justice-Involved Individuals: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Individuals who have been incarcerated or under community supervision have elevated cancer mortality. This review summarizes existing knowledge on implementation and outcomes of cancer screening for justice-involved individuals to identify opportunities for reducing cancer disparities. This scoping review identified 16 studies published between January 1990 and June 2021 that reported cancer screening rates and outcomes in U.S. jails or prisons or for individuals under community supervision. Most studies evaluated cervical cancer screening, while fewer studies evaluated screening for breast, colon, prostate, lung, and hepatocellular cancers. Although incarcerated women are often up to date with cervical cancer screening, only about half had recent mammograms and only 20% of male patients were up to date with colorectal cancer screening. Justice-involved patients are at high risk of cancer, yet few studies have evaluated cancer screening for these populations and screening rates for many cancers appear low. The findings suggest that intensification of cancer screening for justice-involved populations may address cancer disparities.

Keywords: cancer screening; criminal justice; health care disparities; incarceration; jail; justice-involved; prison; scoping review.