The report recommended the prisons establish a regular screening process and emphasize participation, which the Bureau of Prisons agreed to do.
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- Fewer than two-thirds of prisoners at average risk of colorectal cancer were offered annual screening, according to the inspector general’s report.
- Fewer than half the inmates had an annual screening as of April 2024, the report said.
- Robert Hanssen, a famous spy, died of colorectal cancer despite a lack of diagnosis.
WASHINGTON – The federal Bureau of Prisons doesn’t screen most inmates for colorectal cancer and treatment is often lacking even with positive test results, according to a watchdog report released on May 20.
Fewer than two-thirds of the inmates at average risk were offered annual screenings as recommended by medical experts for the common form of cancer and fewer than half actually had them, according to the report from the Justice Department’s inspector general.
The bureau, which houses more than 150,000 inmates convicted of federal crimes, agreed with the report’s recommendations May 20 for improving care and said it would work to implement them.
“The Bureau recognizes the importance of timely colorectal cancer screening,” the bureau said in a letter replying to the report. “lf detected early, colorectal cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 90%, with survival declining steeply the later it is caught.”
The report on the one of the most common forms of cancer drew more attention to screening and treatment a few days after former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with spreading prostate cancer.
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Other than skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third-most common cancer behind lung and prostate, according to the American Cancer Society.Screening through stool tests is recommended annually for people 45 to 74 because it helps identify growths called polyps so they can be removed before they become cancerous, according to the society.A positive result in a fecal test is supposed to be followed with a colonoscopy. The prison health service aims to complete a colonoscopy within three months of a positive screening but the inspector general found the average wait time was eight months. Eight inmates out of 327 sampled waited more than 18 months.
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Despite multiple positive screening results, he never received a colonoscopy or cancer diagnosis, according to inspector general Michael Horowitz.
Another prisoner, Frederick Bardell, died in February 2021 of spreading colon cancer nine days after his compassionate release from prison. He had reported blood in his stool while in prison but multiple appointments for follow-up care occurred weeks to months after it was intended, according to the report.
Fewer than two-thirds of inmates at average risk screened: report
Fewer than two-thirds of the nearly 38,000 inmates within the average risk age of 45 to 74 years old were offered an annual colorectal screening, according to the report. Fewer than half had an annual screening as of April 2024, the report said.
The inspector general sampled the results of 327 inmates and found 10% had no follow-up after a positive screening.
The inspector general’s report said these shortcomings “creates higher risks and potentially poorer clinical outcomes for inmates and can result in substantially increased healthcare costs for the BOP.”
Recommendations call for consistent screenings, encouraging participation
The inspector general’s recommendations to improve care included:
- Establishing a consistent process to offer screenings to all inmates at risk.
- Distributing responsibility for screening. Employees at several facilities said having someone assigned to conduct screenings led to a more successful program.
- Educating inmates about the risks of not participating in screening. Inmates refused screenings less when educated about the health risks, the report said.
- Considering the type of test used. Inmates preferred what is called a fecal immunochemical test, which doesn’t have medicinal or dietary restrictions, according to the report.