Welcome to the latest edition of CRC News, the American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (ACS NCCRT) newsletter for ACS NCCRT members and partners working toward our shared goal to reach 80% in Every Community. We would also like to wish you all a happy National Public Health Week! To learn more about the coordinated effort to highlight public health work, visit this page.  

There is Still Time to Register for the Next ACS NCCRT Blue Star Conversation 

Explore Findings from a New Modeling Study on Colorectal Cancer Screening and Outcomes 

Don’t miss your chance to participate in the next ACS NCCRT Blue Star Conversation, being held on Tuesday, April 15th from 12:00-1:00 PM ET, titled “Modeling the Impact of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening and Timely Follow-Up Colonoscopy: Recent Data from the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET).” The program will feature a presentation highlighting the yet-to-be-published data from CISNET, a consortium of NCI-sponsored investigators that includes modeling to improve our understanding of the impact of cancer control interventions on population trends in incidence and mortality. After the presentation, participants will have an opportunity to discuss implications of the data, including how findings can be used to inform CRC prevention and cancer control strategies.    

Speakers: 

• John M. Inadomi, MD, University of Utah Health   
• Amy Knudsen, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital 
• Carolyn M. Rutter, PhD, Fred Hutch Cancer Center 
• Molly McDonnell, Fight Colorectal Cancer (moderator) 

Registration is open to ACS NCCRT members and CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Control Program and Comprehensive Cancer Control Program grantees only. Members should check their inboxes for their registration link.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance is Developing a New CRC Measure 

The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set Measure Will Focus on Follow-Up Colonoscopy

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is partnering with the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and the American Gastroenterological Association to develop a new Health Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) measure for CRC screening, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the current NCQA HEDIS® measure for CRC evaluates the percentage of people 45–75 who had appropriate screening for CRC, national guidelines do not identify a time frame for completing a follow-up colonoscopy after an abnormal non-colonoscopy test and health systems and plans are not uniformly tracking timely colonoscopy completion, which is one of ACS NCCRT’s current priority areas.  

As part of the measure development process, NCQA seeks health plans and health care delivery systems to test the availability and completeness of structured data from electronic clinical databases and to help them determine the feasibility of assessing CRC screening follow-up. 

If your organization would like to participate in this testing effort, contact Alana Burke, Director, Health Equity Sciences, NCQA. 

Recording: ACS Webinar for Community Health Centers 

The Session Covered Colorectal Cancer Trends and Health Center Insights 

On March 27^th, the ACS NCCRT partnered with the ACS Implementation Science team to host a webinar focused on health centers covering the current state of CRC, the urgent need for screening patients aged 45-55, and a review of tools and resources available. Slides, associated resources, and a recording are now available on the ACS NCCRT website.  

Exact Sciences Launches the Cologuard Plus Test 

The New Test is FDA Approved and Available to Medicare Recipients 

Last week, Exact Sciences, an ACS NCCRT corporate associate, announced that their most recent test, Cologuard Plus™, has been released to the market. The test is FDA approved for average risk patients 45 years old and up and covered by Medicare.  

Learn more about the performance characteristics of the test in this New England Journal of Medicine publication. To learn how this new test compares to other current and emerging CRC tests, view slides from the November 20^th panel discussion, “Current and Emerging CRC Test Technologies,” at the 2024 ACS NCCRT Annual Meeting.  

Recent and Upcoming CRC-Related Opportunities and Content 

Plan Ahead for Educational Events and Grant Submissions 

The ACS NCCRT would like to highlight a few upcoming opportunities to get involved in CRC-related activities: 

• The American Cancer Society recently released the 2024 Patient Support Pillar Impact Report. The report, which covers all roundtable and local ACS work, shows key successes like reaching 111 million lives, saving $73 million in hotel costs for people facing cancer through our Hope Lodge communities and sneak peeks into some of the bold new initiatives that ACS has planned for 2025.  
• The Southeastern Colorectal Cancer Consortium is now accepting abstracts for their June 11-13 meeting in Savannah, GA. To be considered, visit this link and submit by April 25 at 12pm ET. 
• Exact Sciences is pleased to announce that their Focus Program’s Spring 2025 RFP is open. The FOCUS Program is an 18-month grant program aimed at supporting organizations interested in increasing CRC screening rates and education in their respective communities. To learn more and apply by May 15 at 11:59pm CT, visit this link. 
• The Colon Cancer Prevention Project, an ACS NCCRT member, is promoting their online CRC awareness campaign called “Toilet Talk”. The campaign asks those participating to record videos, share facts, and use the hashtag #ToiletTalk. To learn more, visit toilettalkcrc.com.  

Many thanks for the great work you do!

The ACS NCCRT Team

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