Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and one of the top causes of cancer deaths. Screening can help reduce deaths from colorectal cancer by catching abnormal growths in the colon before they spread or before they become cancerous. But only about two-thirds of U.S. adults ages 50 to 75—the range for which the procedure is recommended—get screened for these growths. Some demographic populations, including Latinos, people without health insurance, and people who have been in the United States for less than 10 years, are even less likely to be screened.
Researchers with the Participatory Research to Advance Colon Cancer Prevention (PROMPT) study are working to increase colorectal cancer screening rates for Latinos. The researchers collaborated with Latino community members in Southern California to create culturally appropriate materials to inform patients about colorectal cancer screening. Now the researchers are using the materials in a study to find an optimal schedule for contacting people and reminding them to do their annual colorectal cancer screening.
“For changing health behavior, such as encouraging people to get the recommended timely health screenings, research has shown that it is crucial to frame the health messages in terms that people understand and can relate to,” says Dr. Rina Das, scientific program officer at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). “Incorporating participant feedback through community based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to adapt culturally relevant health messages helps close the health disparities gap and reach NIMHD’s vision of a future in which everyone has an equal opportunity to live a long, healthy, and productive life.”
Detecting Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is cancer of the bottom part of the digestive system—the colon, also known as the large intestine, and the rectum. Colorectal cancer kills more than 50,000 people each year in the United States.
Screening can help reduce deaths from colorectal cancer. One form of screening for colorectal cancer is a colonoscopy, in which a doctor examines the inside of the colon and rectum by using a colonoscope,. However, colonoscopies are inconvenient; you have to take time off work, take strong laxatives to empty out your colon, and get someone to drive you home from the appointment because of the sedation used for the procedure.
Another method is the fecal immunochemical test, or FIT, which is convenient and can be done at home. For the FIT, you place a small sample of feces on a card and return it to the doctor for testing. “Data show that patients are more likely to get screened if they can do so with a FIT,” says Gloria Coronado, Ph.D., the leader of the study and a researcher at the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland Oregon. In addition, she notes, research has shown that an annual FIT is just as good at preventing colorectal cancer as a once-a-decade colonoscopy. But getting patients to actually collect a sample and send in the card every single year is a challenge. In FIT outreach programs, a FIT card is mailed to each person who needs screening.