Prince George's County hosts first colorectal roundtable on screening, treatment disparities

Prince George’s County’s first colorectal roundtable was not just about awareness. It was a test of whether public-health messaging can translate into more screenings for residents who are still being diagnosed too late, especially in communities where access, insurance and follow-up care remain uneven.

The Prince George’s County Health Department hosted the inaugural Colorectal Roundtable Talk on April 27, bringing together health professionals and people with lived experience to focus on colorectal health, early screening, innovative approaches to treatment and disparities in outcomes. That mix matters in a county where health leaders cannot rely on education alone. The county’s own health data platform, Prince George’s County Health Zone, tracks hospitalizations, deaths, births and other indicators at the county and ZIP-code level, giving officials the kind of local detail needed to see where screening efforts are falling short.

National guidance leaves little doubt about the stakes. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends colorectal cancer screening for adults ages 45 to 75, and the American Cancer Society says average-risk adults should begin regular screening at 45. Screening options include stool-based tests, colonoscopy, CT colonography and sigmoidoscopy, but any abnormal non-colonoscopy test must be followed by a timely colonoscopy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States and the third leading cancer killer, while regular screening among adults 50 and older could prevent as many as 60% of deaths.

Prince George’s County’s numbers show both progress and a clear need to do more. Health Zone reports a colorectal cancer incidence rate of 33.3 cases per 100,000 people for 2017-2021, and a 2022 colon cancer screening measure of 67.7% for adults 45 to 75. Maryland’s statewide colorectal cancer incidence rate was 35.1 per 100,000 for 2018-2022. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also estimated colorectal cancer would cause 52,980 U.S. deaths in 2021 and noted that 10.5% of new cases occur in people younger than 50.

The county already has entry points that could make the roundtable more than a symbolic event. Its cancer program lists a colorectal program at 8118 Good Luck Road, 2nd Floor Surgical Services, in Lanham. Luminis Health says it partners with Maryland’s Cancer, Prevention, Education, Screening, and Treatment program to make screenings available to uninsured Prince George’s County residents. Maryland’s program serves residents ages 45 to 74 who are uninsured or underinsured and living at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. In a majority-Black county where racial and ethnic disparities in screening and outcomes remain documented, the challenge now is whether that infrastructure can reach more residents before symptoms force them into more advanced, harder-to-treat disease.