Kaiser Permanente, Ohio State study confirms value of testing
An analysis of Kaiser Permanente patients in California found a 33% reduced risk of dying of colorectal cancer for those taking at least one fecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening. The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
The analysis included 10,711 people between ages of 52 and 85 who completed a FIT screening through a Kaiser Permanente medical center in Northern and Southern California. The researchers compared 1,103 people who died from colorectal cancer with 9,608 other patients who were similar but did not have a colorectal cancer diagnosis when screened.
FIT screening is noninvasive and can be carried out at home and mailed back. Those with a positive result are encouraged to schedule a colonoscopy. Kaiser Permanente Northern California established an organized screening outreach program in 2006.
The analysis found 63.5% of patients in the study completed 1 or more FITs. Of the 12.6% who had a positive result, 79% came in for a colonoscopy. The study found a greater risk reduction for cancers identified in the left colon and rectum.
“Colorectal cancer screening works and is one of the best ways of decreasing deaths from colorectal cancer,” said Douglas Corley, MD, PhD, a co-principal investigator, research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, and chief research officer for The Permanente Medical Group. “This study — of at least one FIT screening in the previous few years — confirms this method is an effective tool. It can be performed at home and we anticipate that regular annual use, as recommended, can result in even larger reductions in cancer deaths over time. In our setting, providing multiple methods for cancer screening has increased participation to over 80%, which has been associated with approximately a 50% reduction in colorectal cancer deaths.”
The study was carried out in collaboration with researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and the Richard J. Solove Research Institute. For more information read the OSU news release.
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