Latest news with #DouglasCorley
Epoch Times
03-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Screening Initiative Cuts Down Colorectal Cancer Rates, Deaths by 50 Percent
Offering patients options to test for colorectal cancer may be a good strategy, according to the results of a study by Kaiser Permanente researchers presented at Digestive Disease Week. Investigators in this 20-year population-based study sent at-home kits for fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) along with colonoscopy reminders to patients overdue for colonoscopies. 'If you offer people more than one option for screening—such as colonoscopy or FIT—they're more likely to get screened than if you offer either option by itself,' Dr. Douglas Corley, researcher and gastroenterologist, said in a Understanding FIT FIT tests in particular are a great way to reach patients who live in rural areas, as well as young adults, who are experiencing more incidents of colorectal cancer even as the overall incidence declines, Corley said in an American Medical Association (AMA) 'So there are a lot of positives about it. And that's one of the reasons why the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force kind of equally recommends colonoscopy and FIT for benefit in terms of decreasing the risk of death from colorectal cancer,' he said in the AMA interview. FIT tests are a noninvasive way to determine whether someone has blood in their stool. People with positive tests would then follow up with a colonoscopy. Some providers may also order Cologuard testing, which looks for DNA of cells shed in the stool, for abnormalities typical of cancer. Study Findings Screening rates—via colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or FIT—grew from 37.4 percent in 2000 to 79.8 percent in 2019 across all racial and ethnic groups, according to the researchers. Giving patients more options in the type of colorectal cancer screening they receive—including a FIT test mailed to their home—reduced the number of those who got cancer by a third, reduced the deaths in half, and eliminated nearly all the racial differences in screenings, diagnoses, and death. There was a spike in colorectal cancer diagnoses during the first three years of the study—due to early detection—with overall incidence dropping across the cohort by 30 percent. Related Stories 3/22/2025 2/14/2023 Colorectal cancer deaths decreased by about 50 percent, with the largest reductions seen in black patients who have historically had worse outcomes from colorectal cancer. Deaths among black patients declined from 52.2 per 100,000 to 23.5 per 100,000. Corley said during an online media briefing that the changes were sustained through the duration of the study. 'It's really remarkable that some of these large differences by mortality in race and ethnicity that we saw two decades ago and which we see throughout the United States are now similar,' he said. These results demonstrate that offering more options to everyone levels the playing field for preventive care, he added. Study Strengths The size and scope of the study indicate that similar findings could be expected if it were reproduced, Corley said. The study also had diverse participants who reflected the population at large, and it followed them for two decades. 'This model could be applied to other preventable conditions with effective interventions such as hypertension and kidney disease,' said Corley. Offering people choices—including a test they could do without leaving their house— is one way to reach more people and simplify the screening process. He added that colonoscopies aren't always convenient, as they may need to take a day off of work, and drinking the bowel prep can cause uncomfortable bowel movements. Corley noted that not everyone wants the risks involved with colonoscopies, which include tears, bleeding, infection, and reaction to sedatives. One weakness of the study was that it didn't look at root cause issues like diet and environment that could be contributing to cause or death, he said, adding that exactly how these factors contribute is still uncertain. However, Corley noted that screenings help everyone regardless of root cause, and the study proved that screenings do give patients a better chance to prevent cancer—and survive if they do get it. 'I think that was one of the more remarkable things. When you take something that is the second largest cause of cancer deaths and in a short period of time you cut that in half.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Colon cancer screening program reduced cases and deaths, eliminated racial gaps
A Kaiser Permanente colon cancer screening initiative put a huge dent in cancer cases and deaths over two decades, a new study says. The systematic outreach program doubled colon cancer screening rates, researchers are scheduled to report at the upcoming Digestive Disease Week meeting in San Diego. As a result, cancer cases were cut by a third and colon cancer deaths by half, researchers report. In addition, racial disparities in colon cancer outcomes nearly vanished as a result of the initiative, researchers said. "By offering an effective screening approach equally to everyone, we were able to eliminate much of the disparity," said lead investigator Dr. Douglas Corley, chief research officer with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Northern California. "Ten years ago, there were big gaps in cancer risk and death, especially among our Black patients," he said in a news release. "Now, those differences are nearly gone." For the study, researchers analyzed data from 1.1 million people aged 50 to 75 across 22 Kaiser Permanente medical centers from 2000 through 2019. They evaluated outcomes of a systematic outreach program that started in 2007, reminding patients who were overdue for colon cancer screening and sending them convenient at-home stool tests. Screening rates for colonoscopy or stool testing more than doubled, rising from just over 37% in 2000 to nearly 80% in 2019 across all racial and ethnic groups, researchers report. Colon cancer diagnoses initially rose due to early detection, then declined by about 30%, results show. Meanwhile, deaths from colon cancer decreased by about 50%, researchers said. The largest reduction in colon cancer deaths occurred among Black patients, with rates falling from about 52 per 100,000 people to just under 24 per 100,000. "We're not treating the root causes - we don't know if it's diet, exposures, or something else - but by making screening available to everyone, we were able to level the playing field," Corley said. The flexibility offered patients was key to the dramatic increase in screening, he said. "If you offer people more than one option for screening ... they're more likely to get screened than if you offer either option by itself," Corley said. "To get above an 80% screening rate, you almost always have to offer people multiple options." Corley said this outreach model should even work in health systems that aren't large and integrated like Kaiser Permanente. "We've seen safety-net systems and smaller clinics adopt similar mailing and follow-up strategies," he said. "It doesn't require high-tech tools, just organization and the will to reach people where they are." Corley is scheduled to present these findings on May 3. Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on colon cancer screening. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
