
Low-tech outreach approaches, such as mailed invitation letters and free testing kits, can help increase the number of people who get screened for colorectal cancer with either a colonoscopy or home stool test and complete the appropriate follow-up, results from a new clinical trial show.
Researchers reported the findings September 5 in JAMA.
“Our best efforts tripled screening process completion rates [compared with usual care], but we have much more room to improve,” said senior study author Ethan Halm, M.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center.
Screening for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, has been shown to reduce deaths from this diseaseExit Disclaimer. Yet many U.S. adults are not up to date with colorectal cancer screening or do not follow up when their test results warrant follow-up.
The trial included a large number of minority and low-income patients, who have among the lowest rates of colorectal cancer screening in the United States.
Source: NCI







