Incarceration and Screen-Detectable Cancer Diagnosis among Adults in Connecticut

• Published in: JNCI : Journal of the National Cancer Institute Vol. 116; no. 3; pp. 485 - 489
• Main Authors: Richman, Ilana B, Soulos, Pamela R, Lin, Hsiuju, Aminawung, Jenerius A, Oladeru, Oluwadamiloa T, Puglisi, Lisa B, Wang, Emily A, Gross, Cary P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 07-03-2024
• Subjects: Brief Communication
• ISSN: 0027-8874; 1460-2105; 1460-2105
• DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad242

Although incarcerated adults are at elevated risk of dying from cancer, little is known about cancer screening in carceral settings. This study compared stage-specific incidence of screen-detectable cancers among incarcerated and recently released people with the general population, as a reflection of screening practices. We calculated the age- and sex-standardized incidence ratios (SIR) for early- and late-stage cancers for incarcerated and recently released adults compared to the general Connecticut population between 2005-2016. Our sample included 143 cancer cases among those incarcerated, 406 among those recently released, and 201,360 in the general population. The SIR for early-stage screen-detectable cancers was lower among incarcerated (SIR 0.28, 95% CI 0.17-0.43) and recently released (SIR 0.69, 95% CI 0.51-0.88) individuals than the general population. Incidence of late-stage screen-detectable cancer was lower during incarceration (SIR 0.51, 95% CI 0.27-0.88) but not after release (SIR 1.32, 95% CI 0.93-1.82). Findings suggest that under-screening and under-detection of cancer may occur in carceral settings.