The following email news update was shared with NCCRT members and partners on Friday, July, 14th, 2017. Please email [email protected] to subscribe to our regular email updates. 

Register for Thursday, July 27th Webinar on Links of Care
Join us on Thursday, July 27^th at 1:00pm ET for an NCCRT webinar, during which we will share what we’ve learned so far from our Links of Care pilot project. Registration is now open. The Links of Care pilots seek to improve colorectal cancer screening and follow up care for uninsured and underinsured patients by strengthening relationships between community health centers and the surrounding medical neighborhood. Speakers will include: Suzanne Lagarde, Julia Williams, Chris Singer and Kara Riehman, who will provide a brief overview of specific pilots, while also discussing implementation, workflows, partnerships, successes/challenges and lessons learned.

The webinar is open to NCCRT members, 80% by 2018 partners, CDC grantees, ACS Health Systems and Communications staff, and new partners interested in getting engaged in colorectal cancer screening efforts. You must be registered to join the webinar.  Please visit this site to register and for additional background.

New Blog on the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network
A new 80% by 2018 Blog, featuring the work of the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network, an 80% by 2018 National Achievement Award Honoree, is now available. Learn about their “All teach, all learn” approach and their creative use of jelly beans to motivate providers! Thank you to Emily Bell for her work on the blog, and of course, special thanks to Nancy Beaumont and Judy Beck for sharing their incredible work with us!

If you or your colleagues would like to share on social media, you are welcome to use our shortened URL (http://ow.ly/WL2dI) and/or to retweet/repost the messages we’ve already shared through @NCCRTnews and facebook.com/coloncancerroundtable.

NCCRT Leadership News
We wanted to share the news that our friend and colleague, Holly Wolf, retired from her long career in public health at the end of June. We will miss Holly greatly, as she has been a smart and thoughtful colleague, who served in many different capacities, including as the long-time Co-Chair of the NCCRT Policy Action Task Group, along with fellow Co-Chair Lynda Flowers.

Having said that, we are grateful that Holly’s hand-picked replacement, Citseko Staples, Senior State and Local Campaign Manager of ACS CAN, has agreed to join Lynda as Co-Chair of the NCCRT’s Policy Action Task Group. Citseko combines a great policy mind with a deep understanding of field legislative activity around colorectal cancer screening across the states. She will be an excellent complement to Lynda’s Washington perspective. Thank you Citseko! Please join me in welcoming Citseko in her new role.

Replay Available of Webinar on How to Evaluate Activities to Increase CRC Screening and Awareness: Evaluation Toolkit
In case you missed it, you can access a replay of the June 27th webinar on our updated How to Evaluate Activities to Increase CRC Screening and Awareness: Evaluation Toolkit here. Special thanks to our excellent presenters: Cheryl Holm Hansen, Amanda Hane, Heather Dacus, Heather Brandt and Andi Dwyer!

As a reminder, all NCCRT webinars are archived and can be accessed here.

New Colon Cancer Alliance Grants Program
The Colon Cancer Alliance launched its first peer-reviewed grants program and is proud to announce that this year’s grant cycle is now open. One grant in the amount of $125,000 will be awarded over a two-year period to support the salary and benefits of the researcher while working on mentored, young-onset colorectal cancer research. Applications are being accepted from June 1-August 31, 2017. This grant will be awarded in December 2017. Click to access the online application and grant guidelines. Please contact CCA’s Stephanie Guiffre at [email protected] with questions!

New Moonshot Research Project on CRC Screening
The Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening and follow-up through Im­plementation Science (ACCSIS) is a research project designed to test im­plementation strategies that substan­tially improve colorectal cancer screen­ing and follow-up rates in populations where baseline rates remain low. The RFA, submitted by the Blue Rib­bon Panel Prevention and Screening Implementation Team, places an em­phasis on addressing disparities in CRC screening and follow-up, including in underserved racial and ethnic minori­ty populations and rural and hard-to-reach populations.  Based on the panel’s Implementation Science Working Group Report, the proposal addresses the issue of subop­timal uptake of evidence-based cancer prevention and screening programs, particularly among underserved populations. According to the report, effective scaling up of CRC screening and fol­low-up, HPV vaccination, and tobacco cessation interventions could result in 389,900 fewer new cancer cases annually and 318,500 fewer cancer deaths annually. Each research grant in this RFA will in­clude a description of “hotspot” catch­ment areas and populations of focus, with data on low rates of screening and follow-up, emphasizing reduction or elimination of disparities, as well as a two-phase “Signature” trial that would test comparative strategies for improving uptake and sustainment of evidence-based CRC screening and fol­low-up care. The budget for ACCSIS is $15 million in total costs over five years, with $12 mil­lion for the research grants and $3 mil­lion for the creation of a coordinating center.

Relevant Articles and Studies
Here are a few relevant articles/studies that may be of interest:

A new CDC report on Higher Deaths from Cancer in Rural America shows that cancer death rates are falling more slowly in rural areas than in urban areas, but proven strategies can help reduce these disparities. While rural areas have lower rates of new cases of cancer than urban areas, they have higher cancer death rates. Incidence rates were higher in rural areas for several cancers, including those linked to tobacco use such as lung cancer, and those that can be prevented by screening such as colorectal and cervical cancers. This report is the first comprehensive description of cancer incidence and deaths in rural and urban areas.

Along that note, some of you may also find this Rural Monitor story on colorectal cancer screening that puts the spotlight on some of the good work rural states are doing to increase colorectal cancer screening.

Cost-Effectiveness of Waiving all Copayments for Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Medicare Beneficiaries. New data presented at the annual Digestive Disease Week® looked at Cost-Effectiveness of Waiving all Copayments for Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Medicare Beneficiaries. Click here to view the study abstract. The study concludes that it can be used to help inform the public debate and policy on the potential costs and benefits of waiving all copayments for colonoscopies used in CRC screening and suggests that waiving these copayments will likely be a very cost-effective legislation. Here is an additional story explaining the analysis. Thank you to Emily Bell and Barry Berger for bringing this analysis to our attention, and congratulations to NCCRT colleagues, Reinier Meester, Frank Berger, and Ann Zauber, as well as the other authors!

Insurance Coverage for CT Colonography Screening: Impact on Overall Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates. A new journal article has been published in Radiology, entitled Insurance Coverage for CT Colonography Screening: Impact on Overall Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates. The study found that insurance coverage of CT colonography for CRC screening was associated with a greater likelihood of a patient being screened and a greater likelihood of being screened with a test that helps both to detect cancer and prevent cancer from developing (CT colonography or colonoscopy). Congratulations to NCCRT members Drs. Jennifer Weiss, David Kim and Perry Pickhardt, as well as the other authors! Additional thanks to Emily Bell for bringing this article to our attention.

Register for CDC’s August National Cancer Conference
Only 30 days until the 2017 CDC National Cancer Conference in Atlanta! In addition to an exciting list of plenary speakers including Joan Lunden, the conference includes a thought-provoking line-up of concurrent sessions. Online registration ($375 rate) closes August 4. On-site registration ($425 rate) will be available for the first two days of the conference, August 14 and 15, 2017. For more details and registration information, please visit the conference website.

New Biomarker Resource for Patients from Fight CRC
Fight CRC asked that we share a new resource called Biomarked. As you know, treatment decisions for many CRC patients are not one-size-fits-all. This campaign was designed alongside Fight CRC advocates who offered their insights into their confusion about biomarkers (and other topics involved in making treatment decisions). Fight CRC worked to create a resource that explains the factors involved in choosing the best treatment option and how to undergo a conversation with their treatment teams. Fight CRC is hopeful that patients, caregivers and medical professionals alike will all use this resource, which includes a mini-magazine, conversation starter, videos, blogs, and FAQs about biomarkers. We invite you to check it out! https://FightCRC.org/Biomarked Please contact Fight CRC’s Danielle Burgess at [email protected] with questions.

Seeking Submissions to the 80% by 2018 Hall of Fame!
Has your organization reached an 80% colorectal cancer screening rate? Or do you work with a partner that’s reached the 80% milestone? If so, we want to hear from you! Share your success to get your organization’s name listed on the 80% by 2018 Hall of Fame. Organizations will also receive an 80% Screening Rate Stellar Achievement Web Badge to display on websites and social media.