Dear NCCRT Members and 80% Partners,

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

Webinar Today to Share Findings from Colorectal Cancer Statistics 2020

Webinar: Colorectal Cancer Burden Shifting to Younger Individuals: A close look at what the most recent data tells us about colorectal cancer incidence, mortality, and screening rates

Date: Monday, May 18, 2020

Time: 1:00 to 2:00 PM ET

It’s not too late to register to join us for our webinar today to take a close look at the findings from Colorectal Cancer Statistics 2020, a recent American Cancer Society (ACS) publication released on March 5th. According to the report, the burden of colorectal cancer is swiftly shifting to younger individuals as incidence increases in young adults and declines in older age groups. Learn about these findings and more in this webinar featuring report lead author Rebecca Siegel, MPH, Scientific Director, Surveillance Research, and Robert Smith, PhD, Senior Vice President of Cancer Screening, both at ACS. Pre-registration is required.

PLEASE NOTE: The date of this webinar has been moved from May 11 to May 18, 1-2 pm ET, to accommodate a new platform. Participants will need to re-register.
Register

NCCRT & Colorectal Cancer Alliance Convene Expert Panel to Explore Colorectal Cancer Screening in the COVID-19 Era

COVID-19 has produced far-reaching and significant health impacts, including a drastic reduction in all cancer screenings. In response, NCCRT and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance convened a panel of prevention and screening experts to offer a united response and propose national guidance on improving colorectal cancer screening rates during the COVID-19 era.

The expert panel discussion, which occurred on May 5, produced four critical points from which further communications and recommendations will emerge:

1. Despite the challenges we face during the pandemic, we must provide the public with safe opportunities to prevent and detect disease whenever possible.
2. Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers.
3. During a time when availability of elective screening colonoscopy may be limited by the COVID pandemic, CRC screening can be safely offered through at-home stool-based tests. A positive stool-based test identifies an individual with a higher risk of CRC, for whom colonoscopy should be prioritized.
4. Resumption of screening activities and public messaging will be highly dependent upon regulatory requirements in local geographic areas, public health priorities and community perceptions of safety.

NCCRT, in collaboration with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and other stakeholders, will continue working on communications and recommendations for the public, media and healthcare professionals over the coming months. We look forward to sharing more with you soon.
View the Press Release

Relevant Journal Articles and Publications

• Colorectal Cancer Screening and Prevention in the COVID-19 Era, recently published by JAMA Network, makes the case for leveraging mailed fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) outreach programs and outlines five ways that primary care physicians and gastroenterologists can maintain momentum in decreasing colorectal cancer mortality.
• Colorectal cancer screenings have dropped by 86% relative to averages prior to January 20, 2020, according to an analysis by Epic Health Research Network: Preventive Cancer Screenings during COVID-19 Pandemic.
• A recent Commonwealth Fund study, What Impact Has COVID-19 Had on Outpatient Visits?, finds adult primary care and gastroenterology visits have declined by 49% and 61% since mid-March.
• A report by the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science finds more than 80,000 diagnoses of five common cancers may be missed or delayed by early June because of disruptions to health care caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The data suggest that there could be 18,800 missed or delayed diagnoses of colorectal cancer during the 3-month period from early March through early June.
• Two recent publications provide guidance for gastroenterologists on resuming endoscopy services: Guidance on Safely Reopening Your Endoscopy Center (the American College of Gastroenterology) and Joint AGA/DHPA Guidance: Recommendations for Resumption of Elective Endoscopy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Many thanks for the great work you do.

The NCCRT Team

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