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Researchers Reveal Model-Based Estimation of CRC Screening and Outcomes During Pandemic
New research indicates that increasing the use of fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) could offset the reduction in colonoscopies during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting increases in colorectal cancer cases.
Boosting the use of FIT tests from 15% to 22% over a 3-year period was “associated with increased colorectal cancer screening participation and more colorectal cancer diagnoses at earlier stages,” the authors stated.
The investigators used a previously developed simulation model to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on colorectal cancer outcomes. This model, originally designed to estimate colorectal cancer outcomes between 2020 and 2023, included estimates of the US population that completed colorectal cancer screening prior to the pandemic, according to the American Cancer Society.
Increasing the use of FIT to offset COVID-19-related declines in colonoscopy screening, the authors noted, was associated with detection of 2715 cases of colorectal cancer; 72% of these cases were in the early stages. In total, an additional 655,825 colorectal cancer screenings were performed.
“In our simulation model, COVID-19–related reductions in care utilization resulted in an estimated 1,176,942 to 2,014,164 fewer colorectal cancer screenings, 8346 to 12,894 fewer colorectal cancer diagnoses, and 6113 to 9301 fewer early-stage colorectal cancer diagnoses between 2020 and 2023,” the researchers reported. “If our estimates are borne out in real-world clinical practice, increasing fecal immunochemical test–based colorectal cancer screening participation during the COVID-19 pandemic could mitigate the consequences of reduced screening rates during the pandemic for colorectal cancer outcomes.
--Rebecca Mashaw
Reference:
Issaka RB, Taylor P, Baxi A, Inadomi JM, Ramsey SD, Roth J. Model-based estimation of colorectal cancer screening and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(4): e216454. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.6454
