The US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) has announced a new, lowered screening age for colorectal cancer screening. Now, starting at age 45, patients should be screened for colorectal cancer, decreasing the previous recommendations by 5 years. With colorectal cancer being the third leading cause of death for American men and women, and approximately 10.5% of new colorectal cancer diagnosis occurring in persons aged 50 years or younger, lowering the age to access screenings could save thousands of lives each year, once implemented into clinical practice.

In a June webinar, held by USPSTF, the task force outlined that clinics and health systems may not see a shift in the coverage of colorectal cancer screenings covered by insurance, until new fiscal years begin for healthcare insurance policies.

Missed the presentation? The webinar replay and slide deck are available in the NCCRT Resource Center.

Project staff members were able to complete workflow observations of Cohort 1 clinics. Project Director Allison Rosen, MS and Graduate Research Assistant Crystal Costa, MPH, are pictured below with Lupe Resendiz, Lead Medical Assistant of Coastal Health & Wellness. 

Workflow observations were integrated to enrich the assessment phase of the project by providing an additional pathway of understanding CRCS related processes. The project staff is grateful for the opportunity to complete this component of the project.

The second Stakeholder and Community Advisory (SCAC) Board meeting was held on April 28th. The meeting had a great turnout, and the dialogue focused on identifying barriers and facilitators to implementing, the four Evidence-Based Interventions (EBI’s): provider reminders, patient reminders, provider assessment and feedback, and reducing structural barriers.

The next SCAC meeting will take place on July 28th, from 9-10 AM. If you are interested in attending, please reach out to allison.rosen@uth.tmc.edu for more information.

The inaugural FIT CRC ECHO session, titled “Getting Started” was held on May 20th. Participants learned about the mission and purpose of Project ECHO, what to expect in upcoming sessions, and viewed templates for case study presentation.

Missed a session? After ECHO sessions occur, eligible participants will be able to access recordings for up to one month.

FIT CRC ECHO sessions will include a didactic session led by a Subject Matter Expert, case study presentations from participating clinics, breakout sessions for discussion and peer learning opportunities, and most importantly, no-cost CMEs for eligible participants.

Learn more about Project ECHO.

On boarding process for Cohort 2 has begun. East Texas Community Health Services and Avenue 360 are completing onboarding documents and are currently projected to begin the assessment phase of the project this summer. We will look forward to working with these clinics to improve CRCS rates.

Steps include:

Until your cohort begins, keep involved with program updates, and reach out to your regional project coordinator with any questions you may have.

Name: Julio Garza, PA-C

Role: Physician Assistant

Institution: Coastal Health & Wellness

Fun Fact: I have an identical twin brother.

Hobby: Fishing, Movies, the Humane Society.

What does increasing CRC screening rates mean to you? Life-changing. Life can change in an instant; early detection is so important to better respond for this potential curveball.

Did you miss NCCRT’s April 15 webinar: Colorectal Cancer Screening & COVID-19 Update: A Look at the Current Landscape One Year into the Pandemic? Now you can watch the replay! Watch the webinar replay to learn what progress we’ve made and what challenges remain for colorectal cancer screening in 2021.

Fight Colorectal Cancer is hosting the 2021 Rally on Research, an interactive two-day event on June 24-25, 2021, inspired and co-hosted by Dr. José Perea of Madrid, Spain. Engage with other researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates to build a path toward a cure for early-age onset colorectal cancer. Learn more and register.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) published an updated NCCN Clinical Practice Guideline in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for colorectal cancer screening on March 25 that lowers the recommended age to start colorectal cancer screening in average risk adults to age 45.

“Estimated Projection of US Cancer Incidence and Death to 2040,” published in JAMA Network Open on April 7, includes the following sobering prediction: “In the group aged 20 to 49 years, colorectal cancer was estimated to become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths by 2030.”

Two recent publications estimate COVID-19 pandemic impacts to utilization of stool-based colorectal cancer screening tests:

Candace Henley, founder of the Blue Hat Foundation and NCCRT Steering Committee member, shared the story of her experience as a Black woman navigating the healthcare system leading up to her colon cancer diagnosis at age 35 on KCM (Katie Couric Media) on April 26: Navigating the Healthcare Gap: One Woman’s Story of Survival.

Ibram X. Kendi, an American author, professor, anti-racist activist, and historian of race, shared his experience as a colon cancer survivor and highlighted the disproportionate impacts of the disease on Blacks and African Americans in GQ on April 22: Scar Stories: The Toll of Colon Cancer.

45: The age the USPSTF recommends for colorectal cancer screenings to begin. 

149,500: Estimated new cases of CRC in 2021.

7.9% of all cancer cases.

52,980 CRC-related deaths in 2021 (estimated)

8.7% of All Cancer Death in 2021 (estimated)

33% of adults over 50 have not been screened for CRCS 

Statistics from NIH National Cancer Institute.