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Background Recommended colorectal cancer (CRC) screening tests for adults ages 50 to 75 years include home fecal occult blood tests (FOBT), sigmoidoscopy with FOBT, and colonoscopy. A newer test, computed tomographic (CT) colonography, has been recommended by some, but not all, national organizations. Methods We analyzed 2010 National Health Interview Survey data, including new CT colonography questions, from respondents ages 50 to 75 years (N =8,952). We (i) assessed prevalence of CRC test use overall, by test type, and by sociodemographic and health care access factors and (ii) assessed reported reasons for not having a CRC test. Results The age-standardized percentage of respondents reporting FOBT, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy within recommended time intervals was 58.3% [95% confidence interval (CI), 57.0–59.6]. Colonoscopy was the most commonly reported test [within past 10 years: 54.6% (95% CI, 53.2–55.9)]. Home FOBT and sigmoidoscopy with FOBT were less frequently used [FOBT within past year: 8.8% (95% CI, 8.1–9.6); sigmoidoscopy within past 5 years with FOBT within past 3 years: 1.3% (95% CI, 1.0–1.6)]. CT colonography was rare: 1.3% (95% CI, 1.0–1.7). Increasing age, education, income, having health care insurance, and having a usual source of health care were associated with higher CRC test use. Test use within recommended time intervals was particularly low among individuals ages 50 to 64 years without health care insurance [21.2% (95% CI, 18.3–24.4)]. The most common reason for nonuse was “no reason or never thought about it.” Conclusions About 40% of Americans ages 50 to 75 years do not meet the recommendations for having CRC screening tests. Impact Expanded health care coverage and greater awareness of CRC screening are needed to further decrease CRC mortality.

Background In the first CONCORD study (2008), five-year survival for patients diagnosed with colon cancer during 1990-1994 in the U.S. was among the highest in the world (60%), but there were large racial disparities in most participating states. The CONCORD-2 study (2015) enabled examination of survival trends during 1995-2009 for US states, by race and stage. Methods We analyzed data from 37 state population-based cancer registries, covering approximately 80% of the U.S. population, for patients diagnosed with colon cancer during 2001-2009 and followed through 2009. Survival up to five years was corrected for background mortality (net survival) using state- and race-specific life tables, and age-standardized using the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. Survival is presented by race (all, black, white), stage, state, and calendar period (2001–03 and 2004–09) to account for changes in methods used to collect stage. Results Five-year net survival increased 0.9% from 63.7% during 2001-2003 to 64.6% for 2004-2009. More black than white patients were diagnosed at distant stage in 2001-2003 (21.5% vs. 17.2%, respectively), and in 2004-2009 (23.3% vs 18.8%). Survival improved for both blacks and whites, but 5-year net survival was 10% lower for blacks than for whites during both 2001-2003 (54.7% vs. 64.5%) and 2004-2009 (56.6% vs. 65.4%). The absolute difference between blacks and whites decreased by only 1% during this decade. Conclusion Five-year net survival from colon cancer slightly increased over time. Survival among blacks diagnosed during 2004-2009 had still not reached the level of survival of whites diagnosed during 1990-1994, some 15-20 years earlier. These findings suggest a need for more targeted efforts to improve screening and to ensure timely, appropriate treatment.

A series of new semiconducting polymers based on 4,4‐dihexyl‐4H‐cyclopenta[2,1‐b:3,4‐b′]dithiophene, 2,2‐dihexyl‐2H‐benzimidazole, and thiophene units was synthesized. The polymers show good solubility at room temperature in organic solvents owing to long alkyl chain in new acceptor, 2,2‐dihexyl‐2H‐benzimidazole. The advantage of dihexyl‐2H‐benzimidazole compared to the benzothiadiazole is to improve the solubility of the polymer. It was found that these polymers can finely be tuned for photovoltaic application by adjusting the contents ratio of the dihexyl‐2H‐benzimidazole unit. The spectra of the solid films show absorption bands with maximum peaks in the range of 421–577 nm and the absorption onsets at 588–683 nm, corresponding to band gaps of 2.11–1.82 eV. The devices with PCPDTDTHBI‐1:PC71BM showed an open‐circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.46 V, a short‐circuit current density (JSC) of 3.83 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 0.36, giving a power conversion efficiency of 0.64%. Decrease of the dihexyl‐2H‐benzimidazole contents in the polymers induced red‐shift of the UV absorptions, and increased VOC and JSC values, to improve the efficiency of organic photovoltaics. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010