scholarly journals Developments in Screening Tests and Strategies for Colorectal Cancer

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin L. Sovich ◽  
Zachary Sartor ◽  
Subhasis Misra

Background.Worldwide, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and second most common in women. It is the fourth most common cause of cancer mortality. In the United States, CRC is the third most common cause of cancer and second most common cause of cancer mortality. Incidence and mortality rates have steadily fallen, primarily due to widespread screening.Methods.We conducted keyword searches on PubMed in four categories of CRC screening: stool, endoscopic, radiologic, and serum, as well as news searches in Medscape and Google News.Results.Colonoscopy is the gold standard for CRC screening and the most common method in the United States. Technological improvements continue to be made, including the promising “third-eye retroscope.” Fecal occult blood remains widely used, particularly outside the United States. The first at-home screen, a fecal DNA screen, has also recently been approved. Radiological methods are effective but seldom used due to cost and other factors. Serum tests are largely experimental, although at least one is moving closer to market.Conclusions.Colonoscopy is likely to remain the most popular screening modality for the immediate future, although its shortcomings will continue to spur innovation in a variety of modalities.

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Inra ◽  
Molly Perencevich ◽  
Ramona Lim

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer in women and the third most common in men and is the third leading cause of all cancer deaths in the United States. Due to screening examinations used to detect and remove premalignant colon polyps, as well as modification of risk factors and improvements in the treatment of CRC, the incidence and mortality due to CRC have declined over the last several decades. Regardless, CRC continues to account for about 9% of all cancer deaths in the United States. This review addresses CRC, including the epidemiology, pathophysiology and genetics, screening modalities, treatment, and complications associated with CRC screening. Figures show etiologies of CRC, multiple sessile adenomas, a pedunculated adenoma, a sessile polyp, a large polyp found on computed tomographic colonography, and a characteristic sessile serrated adenoma/polyp with a mucus cap in the proximal colon. Tables list oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and mismatch repair genes involved in CRC; surveillance recommendations based on a family history of CRC; CRC risk stratification; CRC screening recommendations by risk stratification; and CRC surveillance recommendations. This review contains 6 highly rendered figures, 5 tables, and 82 references. 


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karima A. Kendall ◽  
Euni Lee ◽  
Ilene H. Zuckerman ◽  
Linda Simoni-Wastila ◽  
Marlon Daniel ◽  
...  

Background. Findings from previous studies on an association between obesity and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening are inconsistent and very few studies have utilized national level databases in the United States (US).Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2005 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to describe CRC screening rate by obesity status.Results. Of a 15,769 Medicare beneficiaries sample aged 50 years and older reflecting 39 million Medicare beneficiaries in the United States, 25% were classified as obese, consisting of 22.4% “obese” (30 ≤ body mass index (BMI) < 35) and 3.1% “morbidly obese” (BMI ≥ 35) beneficiaries. Almost 38% of the beneficiaries had a body mass index level equivalent to overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30). Of the study population, 65.3% reported having CRC screening (fecal occult blood testing or colonoscopy). Medicare beneficiaries classified as “obese” had greater odds of CRC screening compared to “nonobese” beneficiaries after controlling for other covariates (ORadj= 1.25; 95% CI: 1.12–1.39).Conclusions. Findings indicate that obesity was not a barrier but rather an assisting factor to CRC screening among Medicare beneficiaries. Future studies are needed to evaluate physicians’ ordering of screening tests compared to screening claims among Medicare beneficiaries to better understand patterns of patients’ and doctors’ adherence to national CRC screening guidelines.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zubair Khan ◽  
Umar Darr ◽  
Muhammad Ali Khan ◽  
Mohamad Nawras ◽  
Basmah Khalil ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. About one in three adults in the United States is not getting the CRC screening as recommended. Internal medicine residents are deficient in CRC screening knowledge. OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to assess the improvement in internal medicine residents’ CRC screening knowledge via a pilot approach using a smartphone app. METHODS We designed a questionnaire based on the CRC screening guidelines of the American Cancer Society, American College of Gastroenterology, and US Preventive Services Task Force. We emailed the questionnaire via a SurveyMonkey link to all the residents of an internal medicine department to assess their knowledge of CRC screening guidelines. Then we designed an educational intervention in the form of a smartphone app containing all the knowledge about the CRC screening guidelines. The residents were introduced to the app and asked to download it onto their smartphones. We repeated the survey to test for changes in the residents’ knowledge after publication of the smartphone app and compared the responses with the previous survey. We applied the Pearson chi-square test and the Fisher exact test to look for statistical significance. RESULTS A total of 50 residents completed the first survey and 41 completed the second survey after publication of the app. Areas of CRC screening that showed statistically significant improvement (P<.05) were age at which CRC screening was started in African Americans, preventive tests being ordered first, identification of CRC screening tests, identification of preventive and detection methods, following up positive tests with colonoscopy, follow-up after colonoscopy findings, and CRC surveillance in diseases. CONCLUSIONS In this modern era of smartphones and gadgets, developing a smartphone-based app or educational tool is a novel idea and can help improve residents’ knowledge about CRC screening.


Author(s):  
Karan Chawla ◽  
Angesom Kibreab ◽  
Victor & Scott ◽  
Edward L. Lee ◽  
Farshad Aduli ◽  
...  

Objective: It is unknown whether patients’ ratings of the quality of healthcare services they receive truly correlate with the quality of care from their providers. Understanding this association can potentiate improvement in healthcare delivery. We evaluated the association between patients’ ratings of the quality of healthcare services received and uptake of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Subject and Methods: We used two iterations of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) of adults in the United States. HINTS 2007 (4,007 respondents; weighted population=75,397,128) evaluated whether respondents were up-to-date with CRC screening while HINTS 4 cycle 3 (1,562 respondents; weighted population=76,628,000) evaluated whether participants had ever received CRC screening in the past. All included respondents from both surveys were at least 50 years of age, had no history of CRC, and had rated the quality of healthcare services that they had received at their healthcare provider’s office in the previous 12 months. Results: HINTS 2007 data showed that respondents who rated their healthcare as good, or fair/poor were significantly less likely to be up to date with CRC screening compared to those who rated their healthcare as excellent. We found comparable results from analysis of HINTS 4 cycle 3 data with poorer uptake of CRC screening as the healthcare quality ratings of respondents’ reduced. Conclusion: Our study suggested that patients who reported receiving lower quality of healthcare services were less likely to have undergone and be compliant with CRC screening recommendations. It is important to pay close attention to patient feedback surveys in order to improve healthcare delivery.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Eng

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Although environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle, clearly play a role in the etiology of colorectal cancer, as many as 25% of patients with colorectal cancer have a family history of the disease, which suggests the involvement of a genetic factor. Inherited colon cancers can be divided into two main types: the well-studied but rare familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) syndrome, and the increasingly well-characterized, more common hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC, a.k.a. Lynch Syndrome). The prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers of the colon and rectum are covered in this chapter. Figures illustrate various forms of adenomatous polyps, the tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging system for colorectal cancer, and the five-year survival rate in patients with colorectal carcinoma. Tables describe risk factors; possible chemopreventive agents; evidence supporting the effectiveness of screening tests; features and usage issues with different fecal occult blood tests; recommendations for early detection, screening, and surveillance for patients at different levels of risk; colorectal cancer staging systems; indicators of poor prognosis; and chemotherapeutic and biologic agents in the treatment of colorectal cancer. This chapter contains 197 references.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (27_suppl) ◽  
pp. 288-288
Author(s):  
Thi Khuc ◽  
Christian Jackson

288 Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States and expected to cause 51,020 deaths in 2019. Early detection with yearly fecal occult blood test (FOBT) has been proven to decrease CRC mortality. A 30-day delay from positive FOBT to colonoscopy is associated with increased risk of CRC. The Veterans Affairs Health System (VAHS) treats approximately 11% of CRCs in the United States. The effects of an aging population, physician shortage, and increased military personnel entering the VAHS may increase demands on VAHS resources. The primary aim of this study was to determine risk factors that caused delay to colonoscopy. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed records of 600 patients referred for colonoscopy from January 1999 to January 2009, who were subsequently diagnosed with CRC. Patients with a prior CRC diagnosis were excluded. The final study cohort consisted of 530 patients. We analyzed the relationship between 10 variables and delay in time from initial consultation to colonoscopy. Variables consisted of age, sex, race, ethnicity, CRC location, marital status, history of mental health diagnosis, tobacco use, substance abuse, Charlson/Deyo (C/D) score and season of referral for colonoscopy. A delay in time was defined as 30 days or greater. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, race, CRC location and C/D score. Results: A total of 87.17% of patients experienced a delay in time from initial consultation to colonoscopy. When analyzed with a predictive variable of delay to colonoscopy, C/D score of ≥ 2 versus 0, was associated with higher odds of delay in time to colonoscopy (OR = 2.18, p = 0.02). African American race and Hispanic ethnicity was associated with a higher odds of delay in time to colonoscopy, but was not statistically significant (OR = 1.47, p = 0.47, OR = 1.37, p = 0.48). Conclusions: Patients with a C/D score ≥ 2 were 218% more likely to have delay in time from initial consult to colonoscopy, resulting in a delayed CRC diagnosis. C/D score may be used to determine which patients should have more frequent reminders to schedule their colonoscopy to prevent delays in care. Randomized and prospective studies will need to be performed.


Author(s):  
G. M. Butrovich ◽  
E. D. Mirlina ◽  
I. G. Habarova ◽  
O. A. Vostrukhina

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is still one of the leading causes of cancer-related death all over the world. An early diagnosis is fundamental thing for reducing the CRC-related morbidity and mortality. Nowadays researchers are studying more reliable and effective non-invasive screening tests, using easily available biological samples, such as feces. Such methods have high potential to collect and deliver samples. The comparison of some new variants genomic fecal DNA analysis and traditional fecal occult blood tests are discussed in this review. Sensitivity, specificity of the methods, processability, efficacy and ability of early CRC screening are the criteria for the preference of the using of one of these methods. These factors give the opportunity to carry out the large-scale CRC screening. This technological advance promises to increase the efficiency of the fecal DNA analysis and put the using of new clinical applications.


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