Barriers to cancer screening uptake and approaches to overcome them: a systematic literature review.

Introduction: Cancer screening programs play a crucial role in early detection, improving survival rates and reducing the burden of advanced cancer. However, uptake remains inconsistent due to multifaceted barriers. This systematic review aimed to identify factors that impact cancer screening uptake across multiple tumor types and interventions to overcome barriers to cancer screening uptake. Methods: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using Embase Results: Overall, 811 studies were identified from the SLR that reported factors influencing the uptake of screening programs, with 658 studies covering screening programs for breast, cervical, lung, colorectal, gastric and prostate cancers. Barriers to cancer screening included: being unmarried, experiencing higher deprivation, lower socioeconomic status and rural living conditions. Facilitators to cancer screening included: older age, poor perception of health, previous cancer history, family history of cancer, previous cancer screening history, having knowledge of the disease, positive attitudes to screening, perceived cancer risk, higher education level, having children, higher income, higher socioeconomic status, having health insurance, urban residence, having access to care, and recommendations for screening by primary care physicians. Mixed findings were identified for race and ethnicity, employment and smoking status. Targeted educational programs were the most suggested strategy to overcome barriers to cancer screening uptake. Conclusion: Barriers to cancer screening across multiple tumor types are complex, spanning demographic and patient-level factors, social and economic factors, provider and community challenges, and access to health care. While certain barriers are shared across tumor types, others are unique, reflecting the specific requirements of screening for different tumors. Addressing these barriers requires multi-level strategies that integrate both universal and cancer-specific approaches. Targeted interventions and supportive policies can increase screening participation, facilitate earlier cancer diagnosis, and reduce disparities in cancer outcomes.