Dear NCCRT Members & 80% Partners:

We are excited to share with you several updates for the third week of March, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month!

Registration Open: Colorectal Cancer Screening & COVID-19 Update Webinar

Join us for NCCRT’s next webinar on Thursday, April 15 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET, in which we will reconvene the authors of NCCRT’s action-oriented playbook (released June 2020) for how NCCRT members, 80% pledged partners, and colorectal cancer screening advocates across the nation can work together to reignite our screening efforts appropriately, safely, and equally for all communities. The NCCRT hosted a discussion with the authors on July 23, 2020. This webinar will bring the group back together to discuss what progress we’ve made and what challenges remain for colorectal cancer screening in 2021.

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.

Register

Last Call: Register for our Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast Today at 3 PM ET!

It’s not too late to register for our annual Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month webcast today, March 16, at 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.

Learn More and Register

Prevent Cancer Foundation Call for Grant Applications

The Prevent Cancer Foundation’s community grants program funds vital community-level projects in cancer prevention and early detection across the United States. Awards are for one-year, $25,000 grants.

Application Deadline: April 21, 2021. Apply and learn more.

New NCCRT 80% in Every Community Brief for Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalitions

Comprehensive cancer control (CCC) programs and coalitions play a critical role in promoting colorectal cancer screening messages and activities in community settings across the United States. The newly released brief, What Can Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalitions Do to Advance 80% in Every Community?, contains useful information and resources that will accelerate efforts to improve screening rates in your state, tribal organization, or territory.

The American Cancer Society Releases Guidance on Effectively Messaging Cancer Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Late last month the American Cancer Society released the 2021 Messaging Guidebook: Effectively Messaging Cancer Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic, which includes information on both old and new barriers to cancer screening, delivers updated findings on how the pandemic has impacted cancer care, and shares tested messages that will resonate throughout the pandemic. A companion brief and additional communications assets are also included to support your organization’s return to cancer screening outreach efforts.

This work builds on the ACS Guidance on Cancer Screening During COVID-19, released in October 2020, which provides guidance on how public health agencies, health care providers, and screening advocates across the nation can promote and deliver cancer screening appropriately, safely, and equitably during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reminder: Register for our Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast on March 16!

We hope you will join us on March 16 at 3:00 PM ET for our annual Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month webcast. Hear from Richard Wender, MD, and Robert Smith, PhD, NCCRT co-chairs; Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, Director of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control; Rebecca Siegel, MPH, Senior Scientific Director, Surveillance Research, American Cancer Society; Folasade May, MD, PhD, MPhil, UCLA Health, our 2021 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards grand prize honoree; and other special guests.

Ways to get engaged:

1. Send us a picture of you dressed in blue for colorectal cancer awareness! Email your photo to nccrt@cancer.org by March 12th to be included in a photo montage during the webcast.
2. Connect with us on social media! Follow #80inEveryCommunity on Twitter and follow our Facebook page.
3. Spread the word! Share the link to register with your colleagues and partners.
4. Join us. Learn how you can join the shared goal to reach 80% in Every Community.

Partner Events this March

Below are just a few of the exciting events that partner organizations are hosting this March. Share your event using #80inEveryCommunity or tag @NCCRTnews and we’ll be sure to share!

• Throughout the month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium and the Blue Hat Foundation are teaming up to increase awareness of the importance of colorectal cancer screening through the Screening Madness event in which participants pledge to get screened and compete to get the most pledges for their Big Ten team.
• Fight Colorectal Cancer is hosting its annual Call on Congress kick-off as a virtual event on March 15 from 7:00-9:00 PM ET with Hill Days scheduled in June.
• The American Cancer Society South Region is hosting a free CME/CNE webinar on March 16th at 1:00 PM ET, Resuming Colorectal Cancer Screening During a Pandemic: Best Practices and Recommendations. Healthcare professionals from any region are invited to participate.
• The newly formed Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists is hosting its inaugural community event on March 23rd from 8:00-9:00 PM ET: ABGH Roundtable Series: Colorectal Cancer in the COVID-19 Era, a discussion on how to prevent, treat and beat colorectal cancer in the Black community in the COVID-19 era.
• The American Indian Cancer Foundation, an NCCRT member, is hosting the third annual Blue Beads Day on March 24th. From AICAF: Blue Beads Day is a national colorectal cancer awareness campaign for our families across Indian Country. Our team invites Native people of all ages to join us by wearing blue beadwork or clothing, and sharing photos on social media using the hashtag #BlueBeadsDay to raise awareness of CRC screening.

Relevant Journal Articles, Publications, & Other News

• In late February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released An Update on Cancer Deaths in the United States.
• Medicare loophole for screening colonoscopies is fixed — What does this mean for patients?describes how “After nearly a decade of tireless advocacy from our organizations’ staff and volunteers, the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act, nicknamed the “Medicare Loophole” bill, finally made it across the finish line.”
• Framework and Strategies to Eliminate Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screening Outcomesevaluates strategies to eliminate preventable differences in colorectal cancer mortality across racial/ethnic, economic, geographic, and other groups.
• Specificity of the Multi-Target Stool DNA Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Average-Risk 45–49 Year-Olds: A Cross-Sectional Study shares findings on the specificity of the multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) test in an average-risk screening population of 45 to 49 year-olds.

National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable Recognizes Leaders in Colorectal Cancer Screening Efforts with 80% in Every Community National Achievement Award

March 1, 2021 

Award honors individuals and organizations making tremendous progress toward the goal to achieve colorectal cancer screening rates of 80% and higher despite challenges with COVID-19

ATLANTA, March 1, 2021 — The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT), founded by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is honoring leaders with the 2021 80% In Every Community National Achievement Award, given in recognition of distinguished, ongoing efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening rates across the United States.

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in men and women, yet it can often be prevented or found at an early stage, when it’s small and may be easier to treat, with regular screening.

“Regular colorectal cancer screening is one of the most powerful tools for preventing colorectal cancer or finding it early,” said Richard Wender, MD, Chair of Family Medicine and Community Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and NCCRT chair. “Yet screening rates remain low in many communities and the COVID-19 pandemic has further challenged efforts to address inadequate screening. We are honored to recognize the dedication of these community leaders that are working tirelessly to increase the number of people that have access to life-saving colorectal cancer screening, especially in disproportionately affected groups.”

80% in Every Community is an NCCRT initiative that works with community health centers, health plans, hospitals, health systems, employers, and others to reach 80% colorectal cancer screening rates nationally. More than 1,800 organizations have signed a pledge to make this goal a priority.

The 80% In Every Community National Achievement Award includes one grand prize winner and five other honorees. Each receives a monetary award to be used to support continued efforts to increase screening for colorectal cancer.

This year’s recipients include UCLA Health, Los Angeles, CA, as the grand prize winner; and other honorees include American Association of Medical Assistants, Chicago, IL; Arkansas Cancer Coalition, Little Rock, AR; Cynthia Yoshida, MD, Charlottesville, VA; Esperanza Health Centers, Chicago, IL; and St. Vincent de Paul Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ.

Award winners will be recognized during the annual NCCRT Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast on March 16 at 3:00 PM ET featuring Dr. Wender and other guests celebrating the successes of the 80% in Every Community initiative and sharing more about colorectal cancer screening. Register to attend the live webcast and learn more about increasing colorectal cancer screening rates.

More details about this year’s recipients:

$3,000 Grand Prize Winner:
Category: Hospital/Health System
UCLA Health, Los Angeles, CA
UCLA Health provides health care to over 600,000 unique patients annually across Southern California. The UCLA Health Colorectal Cancer Awareness Campaign, launched in 2019, is the first system-wide cancer awareness and prevention effort at UCLA. The campaign is a health leadership commitment to increase colorectal cancer and screening awareness in the UCLA Health patient, provider, and staff community and in the greater Los Angeles area, including medically underserved populations. The multi-faceted campaign has included public awareness events, Dress in Blue Day, patient and provider education, patient-directed educational videos, community lectures, radio and media appearances, employee wellness and nutrition lectures, and a social media campaign. Starting in March 2020, the campaign adapted to provide virtual screening and awareness messages due to COVID-19 and has evolved to include a stronger focus on stool testing to allow patients access to screening from home. Despite national decreases in screening due to the pandemic, UCLA Health has seen an overall 10 percentage point increase in screening among the 389,000 primary care enrollees it serves and is currently planning a myriad of activities to further promote screening in March 2021.

$1,000 Honoree:
Category: Professional Association
American Association of Medical Assistants, Chicago, IL
The mission of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) is to provide the medical assistant professional with education, certification, credential acknowledgment, networking opportunities, scope-of-practice protection, and advocacy for quality patient-centered health care. In 2019, the AAMA partnered with NCCRT to launch a year-long education initiative to inform and equip medical assistants to educate patients about the importance of colorectal cancer screening and to help patients overcome barriers to being appropriately screened. The initiative featured continuing education offerings and articles in its bimonthly publication, CMA Today, during March 2020 and Medical Assistants Recognition Week in October 2020. A centerpiece of the AAMA’s initiative is the course Medical Assistants’ Roles in Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates: Getting to 80%, which 3,964 individuals have successfully completed. Further, AAMA social media posts have resulted in approximately 183,613 impressions. The AAMA’s initiative affirms the vital role that medical assistants and other allied health professionals play in increasing colorectal cancer screening and contributing to the 80% in Every Community campaign.

$1,000 Honoree:
Category: Cancer Coalition/State Roundtable
Arkansas Cancer Coalition, Little Rock, AR
The Arkansas Cancer Coalition’s (ACC’s) mission is to facilitate and provide partnerships to reduce the human suffering and economic burden from cancer for the citizens of Arkansas. Formed in 1992, the ACC has led a multi-faceted approach to increase colorectal cancer screening rates among Arkansans with the engagement of numerous state partners, including the Arkansas Department of Health, the American Cancer Society, clinic and health system administrators, clinicians, and policymakers, among others. Uniting behind the shared goal to increase colorectal cancer screening rates, ACC members have collaborated on multiple colorectal cancer public awareness, advocacy, and provider education efforts. Major accomplishments include the awarding of nearly $400,000 in competitive grants to foster screening rate improvements across the state, largely in rural counties with lower income populations. Between 2012 and 2018, statewide screening rates rose from 56% to 66%, increasing 10 percentage points in six years compared to the national rate increase of four percentage points during this same time period (65% to 69%).

$1,000 Honoree:
Category: Physician Champion
Cynthia Yoshida, MD, Charlottesville, VA
Dr. Cynthia Yoshida is a gastroenterologist, professor and medical lead for the University of Virginia Cancer Center Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. She also co-chairs the newly revitalized Virginia Colorectal Cancer Roundtable. A longtime advocate for colorectal cancer screening, Dr. Yoshida has led the development of a multifaceted colorectal cancer screening program at UVA to enable improved access to quality screening for employees, patients, and under-resourced communities across Virginia. Her team has been integral in building out a free colorectal cancer screening program, which has provided screening for over 400 uninsured patients in rural Virginia. This work is currently being expanded through partnerships with gastroenterology practices to ensure timely follow up to positive FIT tests with free or negotiated rates for colonoscopies, thus developing a safety net for the uninsured. Dr. Yoshida has also served on a number of committees for the American Gastroenterological Association and has been an active member of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

$1,000 Honoree:
Category: Community Health Center
Esperanza Health Centers, Chicago, IL
Founded in 2004, Esperanza Health Centers’ mission is to deliver health and hope for Chicago’s underserved communities. In 2016, Esperanza began applying their team-based care approach to increase colorectal cancer screening rates from a baseline of 43% in 2015. In this model, every patient works with a dedicated three-person team – care coordinator, medical assistant, and provider – with each team member’s skills leveraged to best effect. Also instrumental is Esperanza’s data dashboard, which tracks screening rates monthly and allows them to identify care teams that are exceeding their goals and capture and share their best practices. Screening rates climbed to 69% in 2016 and reached 80% in 2017, with rates remaining above 80% through 2019. In 2018 and 2019, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designated Esperanza a National Quality Leader, an honor bestowed on fewer than 5% of federally qualified health centers nationwide. With COVID-19, care teams are focused on delivering fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) with prepaid mailers along with frequent reminders.

$1,000 Honoree:
Category: Free Clinic
St. Vincent de Paul Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ
St. Vincent de Paul Medical Center, a free clinic based in Phoenix, Arizona, works to sustainably increase the health and well-being of the community, by empowering those who have the greatest need, yet the least resources. Since its founding in 1977, the clinic has evolved into a comprehensive health center providing thousands of visits annually to patients who are largely uninsured, undocumented, and speak only Spanish. Prior to 2015, the clinic had not practiced preventative medicine and the colorectal cancer screening rate was 8%. The clinic began a quality improvement project to increase rates and developed a standardized protocol utilizing a medical assistant-driven fecal immunochemical test (FIT) program. Staff identified and implemented numerous best practices, including destigmatizing testing methods, establishing standing orders, adopting standardized protocols, implementing a user-friendly patient registry, and communicating regular reminders. For the past four consecutive years, the clinic has reached or exceeded screening rates of 80%. The clinic is now working to catalyze regional improvements by sharing best practices and resources with other Arizona Safety Net clinics.

To learn more about the NCCRT, and the 80% In Every Community initiative, visit https://nccrt.org/.

SOURCE American Cancer Society

For further information: Emily Butler Bell, NCCRT, American Cancer Society, 404.653.5228, Emily.Butler@cancer.org

Dear NCCRT Members,

We hope you and your families are staying safe and well. We have a few updates to share with you this week.

It is with great sadness that we share that Dennis Ahnen, MD, a visionary leader in relentless pursuit of our shared goal to save lives from colorectal cancer, died at home surrounded by his family on August 16, 2020. In addition to his many contributions as a renowned gastroenterologist, researcher, and advocate, Dr. Ahnen was an enduring contributor to the NCCRT for many years. He was also a generous and genuine friend to so many of us.

Dr. Ahnen served as the co-chair of the NCCRT Family History and Early Age Onset Colorectal Cancer Task Group from 2012, spearheading the group’s expansion from a focus on family history to include early age onset disease in 2016. He played a leadership role in convening a full day Early Age Onset Colorectal Cancer Summit in December 2017, which helped define key research questions and action steps to guide NCCRT partners in addressing the emerging trends. Dr. Ahnen also served as an NCCRT Steering Committee member from 2014 to 2018, contributing much to the NCCRT’s first unified effort to reach or exceed 80% colorectal cancer screening rates nationwide, 80% by 2018, and later to our current 80% in Every Community campaign. He generously devoted his time and expertise to countless NCCRT publications, resources, and trainings, including leading a systematic review on what we know and don’t know about family history and colorectal cancer; conducting a major survey of GIs, primary care providers and geneticists to determine what clinicians should be collecting about a patient’s family history in their EHRs; and leading development of a cutting edge module for clinicians to help them improve their processes around family history collection and the actions that family history should trigger.   

Dennis was a natural leader who radiated a very genuine warmth, fun, optimism, and curiosity. His curiosity helped the rest of us see things that we wouldn’t normally see, coupled with a unique ability to explain his vision in an accessible way that very gently brought the rest of us along to solutions that have saved and will ultimately save many lives.   

Dr. Richard Wender, NCCRT chair, shared his reflections on Dr. Ahnen and his lasting contributions to our shared work: “There is no shortage of incredible leaders in the national effort to increase colorectal cancer screening, but Dennis’ passion and commitment to the cause were truly exceptional. To honor his legacy, I’m pleased to announce that this year we are honoring Dr. Ahnen with the Roundtable’s Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award. We were able to share the news with Dennis and his wife Carol a few weeks ago and he was truly touched. We hope you’ll join us at the 2020 80% in Every Community Conference and Annual Meeting of our membership to learn more about his work and celebrate his life. His legacy lives on in our work and his memory will further inspire our commitment to saving lives from this disease for years to come. We will all miss him very much.”

Dr. Ahnen’s contributions in his career as a clinician, researcher, and advocate are innumerable, leading him to receive additional high honors in his field, including the American Gastroenterological Association William Beaumont Prize, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancers, and the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Laurel Award for National Leadership.

Please join us in expressing our sincere condolences to Dr. Ahnen’s family. Visit his memorial webpage to learn more about Dr. Ahnen’s many contributions and to leave your own tribute message. The site will be updated soon to include information about how to participate in his Celebration of Life on Saturday October 3rd at 3PM Mountain Standard Time. 

Dear NCCRT Members,

We hope you and your families are staying safe and well. We have a few updates to share with you this week.

Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates Reach 45.6% In FQHCs in 2019

The UDS (Uniform Data System) colorectal cancer screening rate reached 45.6% in 2019, which amounts to a 16 percentage point increase since the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) began tracking colorectal cancer screening as a UDS measure in 2012. Furthermore, 28 health centers reached the 80% goal in 2019. The NCCRT would like to congratulate our partners at HRSA and the National Association for Community Health Centers (NACHC) for championing efforts to increase CRC screening among their grantee and member health centers partners. And most of all, we’d like to share a huge round of applause for the staff and providers at health centers for their persistence and innovation in working day in and day out to provide eligible patients with the opportunity to screen for this largely preventable disease. Visit the HRSA website to learn more about the UDS measure and to find the UDS screening rate for health centers in your state. Visit NCCRT’s Data & Progress webpage to learn about our progress with other national measures.

Reminder: Seeking COVID-19 & CRC Screening Emerging Best Practices

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting colorectal cancer screening rates in unprecedented ways (see NCCRT’s recent “Playbook” on reinvigorating CRC screening amidst COVID-19). Our members and partners are eager to learn from each other about the innovative approaches we’re implementing to both continue CRC screening and communicate that screening is still important and can be done safely in the communities we serve. Does your organization have an emerging best practice to share? If so, please share! Examples could include a clinical workflow that ensures patients with an abnormal stool test get prioritized for colonoscopy, a letter from a health plan to members, an emerging plan to implement Flu-FIT in a drive-through setting this fall, and more. Please share your examples through this form and we will share in 80% Blog posts in the coming weeks.

Reminder: Save the Date for the 80% in Every Community Conference & NCCRT Annual Meeting!

Please be sure to save the data for NCCRT’s annual meeting of the NCCRT membership, which is now expanding to include the 80% in Every Community Conference, to be held virtually on Monday, November 16th and Tuesday, November 17th from 1-4:30pm ET each day. Task group meetings and our NCCRT Orientation session will be held in the weeks prior to the meeting. Timing for these sessions and registration will be announced in the coming weeks. Learn more about the 2020 80% in Every Community Conference and NCCRT Annual Meeting, as well as sponsorship opportunities.

New Multimedia Resources from the Colon Cancer Prevention Project

The Kentucky-based NCCRT member recently released two new resources:

• The new “Cancer Fight” podcast shares stories about colorectal cancer through interviews with survivors and those who are involved professionally or as advocates, with some guests wearing multiple hats. New podcasts are released on Tuesday mornings. Find the episodes on Spotify Anchor or Apple Podcasts.

• A new documentary on early age onset colorectal cancer in Kentucky, “Preventing a Killer: A Documentary”, was recently broadcast on Kentucky Educational Television, the state PBS affiliate.

Relevant Journal Articles and Publications

• A white paper published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, AGA White Paper: Roadmap for the Future of Colorectal Cancer Screening in the United States, posits “a ‘one-size-fits-al’ approach to CRC screening has not and is unlikely to result in increased screening uptake or desired outcomes due to barriers stemming from behavioral, cultural, and socioeconomic causes, especially when combined with inefficiencies in deployment of screening technologies.” The authors propose solutions to overcoming these barriers, including the use of multiple screening modalities, continued development of noninvasive screening tests, and improved personal risk assessment.

• A recent commentary published in J Natl Cancer Inst, The COVID-19 Pandemic: Identifying Adaptive Solutions for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Underserved Communities, describes challenges and opportunities to deliver COVID-adapted CRC screening to medically underserved populations receiving care in community health centers.

• An update to a May 4th study published by Epic Health Research Network, Delayed Cancer Screenings—A Second Look, finds colorectal cancer screenings have rebounded to some degree, but June 16 weekly volumes remained 36% lower than their pre-COVID-19 levels for CRC screenings.

• An update to a previous report from IQVIA Institute, Reopening the U.S. Healthcare System: Tracking the Pandemic, Reopening Readiness, And Health Services Utilization, also finds the number of colonoscopy procedures is rising, but is still below pre-pandemic levels (page 18).

• A systemic review published in the Journal of Community Health, Systematic Review of Interventions to Increase Stool Blood Colorectal Cancer Screening in African Americans, found effective strategies to increase stool blood testing included mailed stool blood tests augmented by patient navigation, tailored educational materials, and follow-up calls or mailings to increase trust in the patient-provider relationship.

• A recent paper in J Natl Cancer Inst, Comparing the cost-effectiveness of innovative colorectal cancer screening tests, evaluated the cost-effectiveness of screening with capsule endoscopy every 5 or 10 years, computed tomographic colonography (CTC) every 5 years, the multi-target stool DNA (mtSDNA) test every 1 or 3 years, and the methylated SEPT9 DNA plasma assay (mSEPT9) every 1 or 2 years.

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.

Do you have a colleague that would like to be adding to receive our newsletter? Please encourage them to sign up to receive CRC News.

Dear NCCRT Members and 80% Partners,

We hope you and your families are staying safe and well. We have a few updates to share with you this week.

Seeking COVID-19 & CRC Screening Emerging Best Practices

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting colorectal cancer screening rates in unprecedented ways (see NCCRT’s recent “Playbook” on reinvigorating CRC screening amidst COVID-19). Our members and partners are eager to learn from each other about the innovative approaches we’re implementing to both continue CRC screening and communicate that screening is still important and can be done safely in the communities we serve. Does your organization have an emerging best practice to share? If so, please share! Examples could include a clinical workflow that ensures patients with an abnormal stool test get prioritized for colonoscopy, a letter from a health plan to members, an emerging plan to implement Flu-FIT in a drive-through setting this fall, and more. Please share your examples through this form and we will share in 80% Blog posts in the coming weeks.

Share Your Work

Replay & Slides: Webinar on CRC Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In case you missed it, a replay of the July 23rd webinar, Reigniting Colorectal Cancer Screening as Communities Face and Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic, is now available. The webinar featured discussions with lead authors of NCCRT’s new report on colorectal cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, which was released on June 30, provides an action-oriented playbook for how NCCRT members, 80% pledged partners, and colorectal cancer screening advocates across the nation can work together to reignite our screening efforts appropriately, safely, and equally for all communities.

Learn More

Relevant Journal Articles and Publications

• A recent paper published in JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics, Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer-Related Patient Encounters, reports a significant decrease in all cancer-related patient encounters as a result of the pandemic, including a decline in colorectal cancer screenings by −84.5%.
• A study published in Am J Public Health, Outreach and Inreach Strategies for Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Latinos at a Federally Qualified Health Center: A Randomized Controlled Trial, 2015–2018, found increased colorectal cancer screening completion among primarily Spanish-speaking patients that received inreach with one-on-one education and/or outreach with mailed FIT.
• A study published in Cancer, Comparative Cost-Effectiveness of Mailed Fecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT)-Based Interventions for Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening in the Medicaid Population, found providing CRC screening eligible patients with a reminder and a FIT was cost saving per additional Medicaid enrollee screened compared with a reminder-only alternative from the Medicaid/state perspective and likely cost-effective from the health clinic/facility perspective.
• An editorial published in Cancer, Colorectal Cancer Screening: The Costs and Benefits of Getting to 80% in Every Community, describes the challenges we face in determining who pays for cost-effective and evidence-based strategies to increase CRC screening, including mailed FIT and screening navigation.

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.

Do you have a colleague that would like to be adding to receive our newsletter? Please encourage them to sign up to receive CRC News.

Dear NCCRT Members and 80% Partners,

We hope you and your families are staying safe and well. We have a few updates to share with you this week.

Webinar: Reigniting Colorectal Cancer Screening as Communities Face and Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Date: Thursday, July 23, 2020

Time: 2:00 to 3:00 PM ET

We hope you will be able to join us on July 23 in a discussion about the NCCRT’s new report on colorectal cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, which released on June 30, provides an action-oriented playbook for how NCCRT members, 80% pledged partners, and colorectal cancer screening advocates across the nation can work together to reignite our screening efforts appropriately, safely, and equally for all communities. During this webinar, we will hear from the report’s lead authors, an expert panel that will share the report’s four aligning statements as well as a summary of findings. Time will be allocated for an ample Q&A after presentations.

Pre-registration is required.
Learn More & Register

CDC Announces 35 New CRCCP Grantees

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) recently announced the latest cohort of grantees, which includes 35 award recipients—19 states, 8 universities, 2 tribal organizations, and 6 other organizations. The purpose of the program is to increase colorectal cancer screening rates among people between 50 and 75 years of age by implementing evidence-based interventions and providing screening and follow-up services for a limited number of program-eligible people. Learn about some of the innovative ways in which current and former CRCCP awardees have increased colorectal cancer screening rates in their communities.

Also from CDC, is a recent blog post from Lisa C. Richardson, MD, MPH, Director of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and NCCRT Steering Committee member. Dr. Richardson shares her recent experience of getting a routine checkup and cancer screening during the pandemic.

New Publication Finds Growing Disparities in CRC Mortality in Rural Areas

A recent publication in JCO Oncology Practice, Rural Cancer Disparities in the United States: A Multilevel Framework to Improve Access to Care and Patient Outcomes, finds age-standardized colorectal cancer death rates from 2013 to 2017 were among the highest quintile in Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, all states with large rural populations. In earlier years, colorectal cancer death rates were high in all states, and disparities were much less pronounced.

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.

Do you have a colleague that would like to be adding to receive our newsletter? Please encourage them to sign up to receive CRC News.