Colorectal Cancer Screening Resource Library
The resources on this page include presentations, resource documents (such as reports, fact sheets, and websites), and tools. To supplement these resources, the League has amassed additional tools, articles, and materials developed by health centers on an internal folder to support screening efforts. Those materials can be accessed by reaching out to KC D’Onfro (kdonfro@massleague.org).
Colorectal Cancer Screening and Covid-19
- CRCS and Covid19 Playbook-NCCRT put together an action oriented-document that includes impact of delayed screening through Covid19, an assessment of disparities, a plan for recovery and moving forward.
- Effective Messaging around Screening During the Covid19 Pandemic-This guidebook, which is based on ACS market research, serves to assist health systems, cancer centers, health care providers, patient navigators, and cancer coalitions in efforts to resume preventive cancer care.
- Pandemic Spotlight: In-home Colon-Cancer Screening Tests- A JAMA article highlighting the FIT test as a critical screening tool during the covid19 pandemic.
- US Colorectal Cancer Statistics - The CDC publishes a data visualization tool that offers federal statistics on cancer incidence and deaths, which viewers can filter by "colon and rectum" cancer. Filtered information includes demographics, state/country statistics, survival, and prevalence.
- Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors - The American Cancer Society's website contains a list of colorectal cancer risk factors that may increase the chance of developing colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer.
- Colorectal Cancer Facts and Figures 2017-2019 - This guide from the American Cancer Society provides an overview of colorectal cancer, risk factors, and incidence data.
Provider Resources & Patient Education Tools
- Boston Based Colorectal Cancer Screening Video-Please share this important message about the importance of Colorectal Cancer Screening with patients and staff.
- Options for Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates in CHCs - Researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have adapted the CRC Clinician's Guide for use in the Community Health Center setting.
- Online CME Course - The Massachusetts Medical Society has updated their one hour-long, web-based FREE 1.25 credit CME video course. The Course focuses on options for colorectal cancer screening and increasing provider confidence in the use of FOBT/FIT as an effective screening modality.
- Patient Education Materials - The Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse offers free patient education posters and brochures about screening for colorectal cancer. Materials are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
- Conversation Cards - The American Cancer Society published a series of conversation cards for providers to use to help patients select an option for colorectal cancer screening.
- Media and Video Resources- CDC offers a compilation of videos, podcasts, social media images and other formats in both English and Spanish.
Screening Algorithms, Methods & Interventions
- Screening Algorithm - The CDC published a colorectal cancer screening algorithm for adults aged 50 years and older.
- US Preventive Services Task Force Draft Guidelines - This This USPSTF Bulletin posted on October 27th, 2020 outlines a draft recommendation screening statement that colorectal cancer screening should start at age 45, which is aligned with the American Cancer Society’s recommendation.
- Interventions to Improve Screening Rates - The Community Preventive Services Task Force suggests several multicomponent interventions to increase screening for colorectal cancer. Interventions are effective in increasing screening with colonoscopy or fecal occult blood test.
- Clinician's Reference for Stool-Based Tests - The American Cancer Society published a state of-the-science information guide about recommended stool-based tests.
- Accuracy of Fecal Immunochemical Tests for Colorectal Cancer - The Annals of Internal Medicine published this systematic review and meta analysis on the accuracy of fecal testing to screen for colorectal cancer
- Fecal Immunochemical Test Program Performance - This Annals of Internal Medicine article describes a retrospective cohort study on FIT performance characteristics over 4 rounds of annual screening. The findings indicate that annual programmatic FIT screening is feasible and effective for population-level CRC screening.
- Clinician's Reference: Fecal Occult Blood Testing - This one page reference guide is designed to educate clinicians about important elements of colorectal cancer screening using fecal occult blood tests (FOBT).
Disparities in Colorectal Cancer
- Adherence to Colorectal Cancer Screening - This article from the Archives of Internal Medicine describes a randomized clinical trial of different colorectal cancer screenings to determine whether the screening approach influences adherence. The common practice of universally recommending colonoscopy may reduce adherence to CRC screening, especially among racial/ethnic minorities.
- Colorectal Cancer Disparity in African Americans - This article from the February 2018 volume of The American Journal of Pathology focuses on African American populations as having the highest incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer of any ethnic group in the United States.
Updated May 2021
