CRC News: March 21, 2023

Dear NCCRT Members & 80% Partners:

We hope you are enjoying the second day of spring! Please read on for a few updates to inform your colorectal cancer screening work.

The ACS NCCRT Reaches 200 Members!

A fundamental premise of the ACS NCCRT is that collective action among the member organizations will be more successful in reducing the burden of colorectal cancer, and reducing that burden faster, than if we worked alone. We’re thrilled to have reached 200 members strong!

Not yet an ACS NCCRT member? Learn about membership and apply.

Tomorrow is Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day

Tomorrow, we recognize Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day and honor those who have been affected by this condition. Limited or inaccurate family history collection and risk assessment is a major barrier to successful colorectal cancer screening. Find tips and tools in the ACS NCCRT’s Risk Assessment and Screening Toolkit to Detect Familial, Hereditary and Early Onset Colorectal Cancer.

NCCRT Chair Quoted in NY Times Article on CRC in Younger Adults

“We’re living in a time when young people in their prime of life are getting colon cancers… And unless we really talk about it, we may not have the opportunity to make as big a dent in this disease as we can.” Hear from Dr. Steven Itzkowitz, ACS NCCRT co-chair, and other experts in the New York Times article published yesterday, “Colon Cancer Is Rising Among Younger Adults. Here’s What to Know.“

It’s not too late to register for our annual Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast!

If you haven’t already, we hope you will register for NCCRT’s annual National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast on Thursday, March 23rd from 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

Participants will also get the FIRST LOOK at the ACS NCCRT’s new logo!

The webcast is free and is open to NCCRT members, 80% Pledge partners, CDC grantees, ACS and ACS CAN staff, and other partners working to increase colorectal cancer screening rates. Pre-registration is required.

New 80% in Every Community Video

In case you missed it, last week we released a new 80% in Every Community campaign video, in which ACS NCCRT members and partners share what our bold, shared goal to reach colorectal cancer screening rates of 80% and higher in communities across the nation means to them. We hope that you will take a look and share widely!

Many thanks for the great work you do!

The NCCRT Team

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CRC News: March 17, 2023

Dear NCCRT Members & 80% Partners:

Everyone deserves to live a life free from colorectal cancer. That’s why in 2019 the American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable launched 80% in Every Community, our bold, shared goal to reach colorectal cancer screening rates of 80% and higher in communities across the nation.

Today, we’re excited to share with you our new campaign video, which shares what 80% in Every Community means to our members and partners. We hope that you will take a look and share widely!

It’s not too late to register for NCCRT’s Annual Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast!

If you haven’t already, we hope you will register for NCCRT’s annual National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast on Thursday, March 23rd from 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

NCCRT Member Events

The American Cancer Society, in collaboration with, OSU-The James and the Harry C Moores Foundation with support from the Ohio Partners for Cancer Control, Mountains of Hope, the Michigan Cancer Prevention Task Force, is offering a virtual learning session, Health Equity Across the Cancer Care Continuum: Colorectal Cancer, on March 23, 2023 at 9:00 AM ET. The session will focus on colorectal cancer disease burden with an emphasis on addressing disparities in prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and palliative care. Register at no cost. CME credit is available.
The Prevent Cancer Foundation’s 2023 Prevent Cancer Dialogue will be held virtually as a series of two webcast summits addressing innovations and health equity in cancer prevention and early detection. Registration for each virtual summit is separate and free of charge.
- Summit 1: Addressing Community-Level Disparities in Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Wednesday, May 24, 2023, 1:00-4:00 PM ET.
- Summit 2: Harnessing the Power of Innovation to Improve Cancer Prevention and Early Detection – Wednesday, June 28, 2023, 1:00-4:00 PM ET.
Registration is open for the 7th annual Southeastern Colorectal Cancer Consortium Conference June 21-23, 2023 in Norfolk, Virginia. Poster abstract submissions are due April 28, 2023. Find the agenda and registration information on the SECRC Consortium website.

Many thanks for the great work you do!

The NCCRT Team

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CRC News: March 7, 2023

Dear NCCRT Members & 80% Partners:

Today we are honored to recognize the 2023 winners of the 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards! Please read on to learn about the exceptional work of these colorectal cancer screening champions.

American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable recognizes efforts to increase colorectal cancer screenings

ATLANTA, March 7, 2023 – Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S. While screenings for colorectal cancer are an important step in saving lives, only 59% of adults aged 45 years and older are up to date with screenings. Today, the American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (ACS NCCRT), founded in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), honored five organizations for their exceptional work to increase colorectal cancer screening rates across the U.S. with the 2023 80% In Every Community National Achievement Award.

“Screenings and early detection are crucial to saving lives from colorectal cancer,” said Steven Itzkowitz, MD, gastroenterologist with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and NCCRT chair. “The work being done by each of our award honorees to expand access to these life-saving screenings is exemplary, and we’re thrilled to recognize their efforts.”

According to Colorectal Cancer Statistics 2023, a new report by the American Cancer Society, an estimated 153,020 people will be diagnosed with colorectal in the U.S. in 2023. The report also found that the proportion of those diagnosed with advanced-stage colorectal cancer increased from 52% in the mid-2000s to 60% in 2019.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a shift toward more advance disease, while screening rates continue to remain low,” said Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer at the American Cancer Society. “While we must continue investing in research to discover new treatments for advanced-stage colorectal cancer, we must also work to increase screening rates. We applaud these organizations for their work to do just that.”

The 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards is a program designed to recognize individuals and organizations who are dedicating their time, talent and expertise to advancing needed initiatives that support the shared goal to reach colorectal screening rates of 80% and higher in communities across the nation. The awards include one grand prize winner and four other honorees, each of whom receives a monetary award to support continued efforts to increase colorectal cancer screenings.

This year’s recipients include CommUnityCare Health Centers & Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX; Colorado Cancer Screening Program, Denver, CO; Kintegra Health, Gastonia, NC; Ohio Association of Community Health Centers, Columbus, Ohio; Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Seattle, WA.

More details about this year’s recipients:

Grand Prize Winner:

Category: Innovative Partnership

CommUnityCare Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center, provides medical and dental services to more than 123,000 Central Texas residents, including people whose income and lack of health insurance prevent them from accessing care elsewhere. Working in partnership with the University of Texas Austin’s Dell Medical School and supported by funding from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, the partnering organizations undertook a multi-year effort to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among eligible CommUnityCare patients. The team implemented a multi-faceted intervention that featured mailed stool-based testing and bilingual, bi-cultural screening navigation to ensure positive (abnormal) Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) results were followed by timely colonoscopy. Since 2017, over 58,000 FITs have been sent out to age-eligible patients, and nearly 13,500 patients have completed testing, with 726 positive tests. The program successfully navigates over 75% of FIT-positive patients to colonoscopy (median time 67 days). In under five years, CommUnityCare has doubled the proportion of patients up to date with CRC screening (from 19% to 44%) with no disparities based on insurance status, race, or ethnicity, all amidst the challenges of COVID-19. To date, the program has detected 16 colorectal cancers (70% early stage) and removed over 195 adenomas.

Category: State-Based Screening Program

Colorado Cancer Screening Program: Founded in 2006, the Colorado Cancer Screening Program (CCSP) is a statewide program of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, fueled by the academic and public health expertise of The Colorado School of Public Health and funding from the Cancer, Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Disease (CCPD) Grant Program. CCSP partners with Federally Qualified Health Centers, rural health clinics, and other safety net clinic systems to use evidence-based approaches to reduce disparities in CRC screening, lung cancer screening, and hereditary cancer risk assessment. Patient navigators and healthcare teams support low-income patients with overcoming barriers and increasing access to care through patient education, care coordination, client reminders and addressing social determinants to health. CCSP clinics have navigated average-risk and high-risk patients into 9,582 colonoscopies during the current grant cycle to-date (July 2018-June 2022) and >36,800 total colonoscopies since 2006. CCSP supports several clinic systems with strengthening their stool-based testing approaches and will soon be expanding the program to additional evidence-based interventions to further support efforts to reach 80% screening rates.

Category: Community Health Center

Kintegra Health: Founded in 1991, Kintegra Health provides continuing comprehensive and accessible primary care services to individuals and families of all economic levels at over 30 practice sites in North Carolina. Following a drop in CRC screenings amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Kintegra Health began partnering with North Carolina Partnership to Increase CRC Screenings (NC PICCS), a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program, to increase CRC screenings in four of the organization’s practices in Lincolnton, Hickory, and Gastonia. In addition to receiving ongoing technical assistance from NC PICCS, the four practice sites participated in the American Cancer Society’s Tri-state Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative developed aim statements; performed process mapping, gap analyses, and Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles, which are an iterative process to test whether a change leads to an improvement; implemented evidence-based interventions, including patient reminders; and reduced structural barriers. Kintegra Health has successfully negotiated a colonoscopy cost rate well below the Medicare rate and developed a medical neighborhood for sustainability. Within a year, all four practices reported increased CRC screening rates ranging between 15 to 34 percentage points.

Category: State Primary Care Association

Ohio Association of Community Health Centers: The Ohio Association of Community Health Centers (OACHC) supports all of Ohio’s 57 Federally Qualified Health Centers and FQHC Look-Alikes (more commonly referred to community health centers or CHCs), providing care to nearly one million Ohioans across 480+ sites in 75 of the 88 counties. CHCs are non-profit health care providers that deliver affordable, quality comprehensive primary care to medically under-resourced populations, regardless of insurance status. OACHC leads many projects in support of improved patient outcomes through quality improvement initiatives. Since 2016, more than 25 CHCs have implemented FluFIT: a program where patients eligible for CRC screening are offered are offered a Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) at the time of their annual influenza vaccination. In collaboration with the regional American Cancer Society, OACHC provides participating CHCs with comprehensive training, technical assistance, and data collection tools. The performance for CHCs participating in the FluFIT program has grown from a rate of 32% screened in 2020 to 40% in 2021.

Category: Hospital/Health System

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health: Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) provides expert, compassionate medical care at 10 hospitals and nearly 300 care sites throughout the Puget Sound region of Washington State. In 2019, the Franciscan Medical Group (FMG), part of the VMFH system, set a goal to increase CRC screening rates to 70% and higher among patients served by its primary care sites in King, Pierce, and Kitsap Counties. Working in partnership with the American Cancer Society as a Hospital Systems Capacity Building community of practice site, FMG used PDSA cycles to test and implement systems changes to increase CRC screening, including standardized outreach methods, shared decision making, data scorecards, and staff and patient education. FMG’s Colorectal Cancer Screening Challenge, an annual eight-week initiative, also provides clinicians and staff with engaging incentives for meeting performance targets. CRC screening among the 85,000 patients eligible for CRC screening increased from 58% in February 2019 to 69% as of November 2022, a considerable achievement given the challenges to health care delivery posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interested in learning more about the 2023 awardees? Register to join NCCRT’s annual Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month webcast on March 23 from 2:00-3:00 pm ET.

View and share the American Cancer Society News Release.

The 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards program is made possible in part by support from Platinum sponsors to our NCCRT Annual Meeting. Thank you to Guardant Health and Labcorp for sponsoring the 2023 awards program!

Many thanks for the great work you do!

The NCCRT Team

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CRC News: March 1, 2023

Dear NCCRT Members:

Welcome to March, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! We are excited to work with you to draw a national focus to life-saving colorectal cancer awareness over the next few weeks. We have several exciting events and learning opportunities to share with you, but first we want to bring your attention to sobering new data released today from the American Cancer Society. Read on to learn more, and be sure to register for our March 23, 2003 webcast (link below) for a deep dive into the data with Rebecca Siegel, Senior Scientific Director, Surveillance Research at the ACS, and lead author of the report.

American Cancer Society Releases New Colorectal Cancer Statistics; Rapid Shifts to More Advanced Disease and Younger People

ATLANTA, March 1, 2023 – Colorectal cancer is swiftly shifting to more advanced disease and younger individuals according to Colorectal Cancer Statistics 2023, a new report on cancer facts and trends by the American Cancer Society (ACS). Researchers showed the proportion of individuals in the United States diagnosed with advanced-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) increased from 52% in the mid-2000s to 60% in 2019. In addition, diagnoses of people under 55 years of age doubled from 11% (1 in 10) in 1995 to 20% (1 in 5) in 2019. Overall, in 2023, an estimated 153,020 people will be diagnosed with CRC in the U.S., and 52,550 people will die from the disease. These major findings are to be published today in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, alongside its consumer-friendly companion, Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2023-2025, available on cancer.org.

“We know rates are increasing in young people, but it’s alarming to see how rapidly the whole patient population is shifting younger, despite shrinking numbers in the overall population,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, and lead author of the report. “The trend toward more advanced disease in people of all ages is also surprising and should motivate everyone 45 and older to get screened.”

CRC is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S. CRC incidence declined rapidly in people 50 and older during the 2000s, largely because of increased screening with colonoscopy, which can prevent cancer by removing premalignant polyps. However, this progress has slowed over the past decade with decreasing trends now confined to people 65 and older.

For the report, researchers used incidence data available through 2019 from 50 states and the District of Columbia from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute and the National Program of Cancer Registries of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as provided by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. National mortality data available through 2020 were provided by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Other key findings from the report include:

Progress against CRC has slowed from declines in incidence and mortality of 3%-4% per year during the 2000s to 1% per year for incidence and 2% per year for mortality during the past decade.
The CRC incidence rate was 33% higher in men (41.5 per 100,000) than in women (31.2 per 100,000) during 2015-2019, likely reflecting differences in risk factor prevalence, such as excess body weight, processed meat consumption, and historical smoking.
Declining incidence rates are confined to ages 65 and older since 2011; incidence rates have stabilized in ages 50-64 years and have increased by 2% per year in people younger than 50 years of age, as well as in people ages 50-54 years.
Diagnoses have shifted to more advanced disease; the proportion of cancers that are regional (spread to nearby lymph nodes, organs, or tissues) or distant (spread to distant organs/lymph nodes) stage increased from a low of 52% in the mid-2000s to 60% in 2019 despite increased screening.
CRC death rates have increased since around 2005 by 1% annually in people younger than 50 years and by 0.6% in people ages 50-54.
CRC incidence is highest in people who are Alaska Native (88.5 per 100,000), American Indian (46.0 per 100,000), or Black (41.7 per 100,000; versus 35.7 per 100,000 in Whites); mortality patterns are similar, with rates highest in people who are Alaska Native (50.5 per 100,000), American Indian (17.5 per 100,000), or Black (17.6 per 100,000; versus 13.1 per 100,000 in Whites).

“We have to address why the rates in young adults continue to trend in the wrong direction,” said Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president, surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society and senior author of the study. “We need to invest more in research to uncover the causes of the rising trends and to discover new treatment for advanced-stage diseases to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease in this young population, who are raising families and supporting other family members.”

“These highly concerning data illustrate the urgent need to invest in targeted cancer research studies dedicated to understanding and preventing early-onset colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society. “The shift to diagnosis of more advanced disease also underscores the importance of screening and early detection, which saves lives.”

ACS’s advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), advocates for policy solutions that eliminate barriers to colorectal cancer screening, including those that ensure coverage of follow-on colonoscopies after a positive non-invasive test without cost sharing. In November 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its rule for Medicare to cover colonoscopies after non-invasive screening tests and lower the minimum age of screening to 45. To date, 11 states have passed such laws that would eliminate cost-sharing and lower the screening age to 45. ACS CAN will continue to advocate for the implementation of these policies at the state level.

ACS authors Dr. Nikita Wagle and Dr. Robert Smith also participated in the study. The edition of Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2023-2025 introduces a major refresh of the ACS supplemental facts & figures reports, providing data in a more concise consumer-friendly format.

View and share the ACS news release.

Registration Open: Annual Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast!

If you haven’t already, we hope you will register for NCCRT’s annual National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast on Thursday, March 23rd from 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

White House Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum Livestream

Numerous colorectal cancer screening experts, advocates, and survivors have been invited to attend the White House Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum on Friday, March 10, 2023 from 3:00-5:30 PM ET. This convening will bring together patients, caretakers, oncologists, researchers, and administration officials, who will provide updates on progress of several key initiatives. Save the date to view the program by livestream.

NCCRT Welcomes a New Program Manager!

We’re excited to welcome Aubree Thelen, MPH, to the NCCRT team! Aubree will be responsible for managing ongoing NCCRT projects, assisting the directors in planning NCCRT events and strategic forums, among other activities. Aubree comes to the NCCRT from her most recent role as an ACS Cancer Control Strategic Partnerships Manager supporting health centers and state-based partners in Illinois. Prior to this role, she served as Advocacy Manager at Fight Colorectal Cancer and worked on policy with the Louisiana Cancer Prevention and Control Programs.

We are thrilled for Aubree to join the NCCRT team and hope you will have the opportunity to get to know her soon!

Welcome to our Newest NCCRT Members!

We are pleased to announce the addition of three new NCCRT member organizations:

AvMed
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa
West Virginia University Cancer Institute

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to these new NCCRT members!

Many thanks for the great work you do!

The NCCRT Team

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CRC News: February 22, 2022

Dear NCCRT Members & 80% Partners:

We are excited to share with you several opportunities as we approach March, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month!

Registration Open: Annual Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast!

Registration is open for NCCRT’s annual National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast on Thursday, March 23rd from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. We hope you will join us to celebrate national achievements and to hear the latest state of the field updates that inform our work. Hear from Steven Itzkowitz, MD and Robert Smith, PhD, NCCRT co-chairs; Rebecca Siegel, Senior Scientific Director, Surveillance Research, American Cancer Society; and other special guests.

The webcast will also feature our 2023 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards winners—stay tuned for the announcement in early March!

Replay Available: Field Strategies to Increase CRC Screening and Promote CRC Health Equity in Communities Across the US

Did you miss NCCRT’s most recent webinar on January 24, 2023? Now you can view the slides and watch the replay! The purpose of the webinar was to offer fresh ideas and strategies by learning from three community-facing health systems that are utilizing various tools to establish, implement, and advance colorectal cancer screening interventions that are tailored for the populations they serve. Watch the replay!

Opportunity to Comment on Draft USPSTF Research Plan on Lynch Syndrome-Related Cancer in Adults

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is accepting public comment on the following draft research plan through March 1, 2023: Lynch Syndrome-Related Cancer in Adults: Risk Assessment, Genetic Counseling, and Genetic Testing.

Upcoming NCCRT Member Events

Dress in Blue Day is Friday, March 3, 2023! The annual event brings awareness to colorectal cancer and honors those who are impacted by the disease. Visit the Colorectal Cancer Alliance to learn more.
Join the Colon Cancer Coalition, NCCRT, and the CRC advocacy community to go #BlueForCRC. Use the hashtag #BlueForCRC across social media throughout March as you share colorectal cancer awareness messages in every community. Download toolkits, access awareness resources, and share your efforts on the Colon Cancer Coalition’s website.
Fight CRC is hosting their annual advocacy event, Call-on Congress, March 13-14, 2023, in Washington, DC. The event brings together advocates from across the country to meet with their members of Congress, share their stories and advocate for greater funding for colorectal cancer screening and research efforts. In addition, Fight CRC will again be hosting United in Blue, a flag installation on the National Mall March 12-24, 2023. There will be a volunteer day on March 12 to help place flags (register). And on March 13, Fight CRC will host a rally with partner organizations, elected officials and advocates. For more information or if you are interested in attending, contact Fight CRC’s Director of Advocacy, Molly McDonnell, at molly@fightcrc.org.
Registration is open for the Western Colorectal Cancer Consortium Conference (WC4) March 6-7, 2023 in Portland, OR. Visit the WC4 website to register and find general conference information.
Registration is open for the Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists’ upcoming virtual program, Colorectal Cancer in Young Black Americans, to take place Thursday, March 16, 2023 from 8:00-9:00 PM ET.
Registration is now open for the 7th annual Southeastern Colorectal Cancer Consortium Conference June 21-23, 2023 in Norfolk, Virginia. Find the agenda and registration information on the SECRC Consortium website.

Many thanks for the great work you do!

The NCCRT Team

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CRC News: January 12, 2023

Dear NCCRT Members & 80% Partners:

We hope you are enjoying a healthy and relaxing holiday season! Please read on for a few exciting updates.

Register Now: Field Strategies to Increase CRC Screening and Promote CRC Health Equity in Communities Across the US

Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Time: 3:00-4:00 PM ET

Jumpstart the new year with fresh ideas and strategies by learning from three community-facing health systems that are utilizing various tools to establish, implement, and advance colorectal cancer screening interventions that are tailored for the populations they serve. Note: this session will feature much of the same content shared in a concurrent session held on Friday, Nov. 18th at the 2022 NCCRT Annual Meeting.

Speakers:

Moderator: Annie Thibault, Director, Colorectal Cancer Prevention Network
Tiffany Taylor, MBA, FACHE, Ambulatory Administrative Director, Department of Family Medicine, Charleston Area Medical Center
Einas Batarseh, MD, MPH, Chief Resident Internal Medicine/Preventive Medicine – PGY 4, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York
Koosh Desai, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Curriculum Director, SWGA Campus, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University

Registration is free and is open to NCCRT members, 80% Pledge partners, CDC grantees, ACS and ACS CAN staff, and other partners working to increase colorectal cancer screening rates. Pre-registration is required. Register here.

Upcoming NCCRT Member Events

For Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this year you are invited to join the Colon Cancer Coalition, NCCRT, and a broad contingency of the CRC advocacy community to go #BlueForCRC. Use the hashtag #BlueForCRC across social media throughout March as you share colorectal cancer awareness messages in every community. Download toolkits for going #BlueForCRC, access awareness resources, and share your efforts on the Colon Cancer Coalition’s website.
Fight CRC is hosting their annual advocacy event, Call-on Congress, which will take place March 13-14, 2023, in Washington, DC. The event brings together advocates from across the country to meet with their members of Congress, share their stories and advocate for greater funding for colorectal cancer screening and research efforts. In addition, Fight CRC will again be hosting United in Blue, a flag installation on the National Mall March 12-24, 2023 designed to bring together partners from across the colorectal cancer community and beyond to raise awareness. There will be a volunteer day on March 12 to help place flags (register). And on March 13, Fight CRC will host a rally at United in Blue with partner organizations, elected officials and advocates. For more information or if you are interested in attending, contact Fight CRC’s Director of Advocacy, Molly McDonnell, at molly@fightcrc.org.
Registration is open for the Western Colorectal Cancer Consortium Conference (WC4) March 6-7, 2023 in Portland, OR at the Knight Cancer Institute. This is an in-person event without a virtual option. Visit the WC4 website to register and find general conference information, including the agenda, speaker list, and guidelines for submitting a poster session abstract by January 31, 2023. WC4 is taking a number of measures to mitigate COVID-19 exposure, including requiring all attendees to attest that they are either vaccinated against COVID-19, or able to present a PCR test with negative results within 48 hours of the conference.
Save the date for the 7th annual Southeastern Colorectal Cancer Consortium Conference June 21-23, 2023 in Norfolk, Virginia. Find additional information on the SECRC Consortium website.

2022 NCCRT Annual Meeting Session Recordings and Slides Now Available

The 2022 NCCRT Annual Meeting (Nov. 16-18) provided a dynamic program with expert presentations and fruitful discussions. Select slides and select session recordings are now available on the 2022 NCCRT Annual Meeting webpage.

Registration Open for the Second Annual Western CRC Consortium Conference (WC4)

The organizing committee for the second annual Western CRC consortium conference (WC4) would like to invite you to join them in Portland, Oregon at the Knight Cancer Institute on March 6-7, 2023. Visit the website to find the schedule, registration, and poster submission information.

Many thanks for the great work you do!

The NCCRT Team

Did you miss a past edition of CRC News? Visit the News & Research archive.

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CRC News: December 5, 2022

Dear NCCRT Members & 80% Partners:

We hope you are enjoying a healthy and relaxing holiday season! We have a couple updates to share with you this week.

New 80% Blog Post: 2022 NCCRT Annual Meeting Recap

The 2022 NCCRT Annual Meeting (Nov. 16-18) featured a dynamic program with expert presentations and fruitful discussions. Learn more about the event in our 80% Blog recap post.

Slides and select session recordings will be made available on the NCCRT website next week. We will update you in this newsletter when these are available.

Welcome to Cancer Screen Week!

Cancer Screen Week is a public health initiative founded by Genentech, the American Cancer Society, Stand Up To Cancer and Optum to increase awareness of the benefits of regular cancer screening. This nationwide initiative annually takes place during the first full week of December, with a collaborative effort by insurers, employers, healthcare providers, advocates and professional organizations to drive awareness and action around screening.

Whether you are a healthcare provider, employer, insurer or community member, we all play an important role in encouraging those around us to get screened. Explore these resources to learn more about how cancer screenings can potentially save lives – and how you can share this information with others. Visit www.cancerscreenweek.org to find a Cancer Screen Week Toolkit and more.

Many thanks for the great work you do!

The NCCRT Team

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CRC News: November 22, 2022

Dear NCCRT Members & 80% Partners:

Going into the Thanksgiving holiday, we want to share our immense gratitude for the work that you do to save lives from colorectal cancer. We hope you enjoy a relaxing holiday. But first, we’d like to share a few updates with you.

Deadline Extended: Nominations for the 2023 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards

It’s not too late to get your nominations in for the 2023 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards! You now have until end of day Thursday, December 1st to submit your nominations for individuals or organizations that are dedicating their time, talent and expertise to advancing needed initiatives that support the shared goal to reach colorectal screening rates of 80% and higher in communities across the nation. Self-nominations are accepted, too!

Visit the awards webpage to learn about contest rules, prizes and recognition, and to submit your nomination. The top nominee will receive a $3,000 donation to support their efforts (see the website for details and exceptions).

The 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards program is made possible in part by support from Platinum sponsors to our 2022 NCCRT Annual Meeting. Thank you to Guardant Health and Labcorp for sponsoring the 2022 awards program! Learn more and submit a nomination.

2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Finalizes Expanded Colorectal Cancer Screening Coverage

On November 1, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the Calendar Year 2023 Physician Fee Schedule, expanding access to colorectal cancer screening coverage. Beginning January 1, 2023, Medicare will lower the minimum age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45, in alignment with recommendations from major guidelines. Additionally, Medicare will now cover as a preventive service a follow-on screening colonoscopy after a non-invasive stool-based test returns a positive (abnormal) result, which means that beneficiaries will not have out-of-pocket costs for both tests. Learn more in the press release.

Congratulations and thanks to our colleagues at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Fight Colorectal Cancer, and other champions that advocated for years to make this change!

The 2022 NCCRT Annual Meeting Was a Success!

The 2022 NCCRT Annual Meeting (Nov. 16-18) boasted record attendance. It was a dynamic program with expert presentations and fruitful discussions.

Slides and select session recordings will be made available on the NCCRT website in the next couple weeks. We will update you in this newsletter when these are available.

Many thanks for the great work you do!

The NCCRT Team

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