THE CRC SCREENING CHALLENGE

There is significant risk in waiting to screen for CRC1

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second-leading cause of cancer death despite being the most preventable cancer1,2

Timely CRC screening and early detection are essential to help reduce mortality rates and potentially save lives3

Many eligible patients with early-stage CRC have no symptoms, making proactive screening the only way to achieve early detection of CRC4

Unfortunately, more than half of eligible patients are diagnosed with regional or distant CRC1*

5-year survival rates by stage of CRC1,5†:

91%

Stages I, IIa, IIb (Localized)

73%

Stages IIc, III (Regional)

13%

Stage IV (Distant)

Younger patients are at increasing risk. In people aged 40-49, CRC is the1:

Leading cause of cancer death in males
Second leading cause in females

Major CRC screening guidelines now recommend CRC screening starting at age 45 instead of 50 for those considered average risk.3,6‡§

Find out how many adults in your area are aged 45‑49 and recently eligible for CRC screening.

See The Data

Both CRC incidence and mortality are higher in Black Americans and Native Americans compared to the overall population.1

CRC incidence and mortality by race and ethnicity1||

Vertical bar chart showing the colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality by race and ethnicity.

Hispanic adults face low CRC screening rates, with only 49% of eligible adults having screened.7

Dr Charles Vega, MD, and Dr. James Schults, MD, standing side by side.

Barriers like a lack of time or discomfort with colonoscopy might stop patients from getting screened for CRC.8


And with ~60 million average-risk patients eligible to screen, there are not enough GIs to perform all the colonoscopies even if barriers could be overcome.9


Dr Vega has been compensated for sharing their expertise and for acting as a consultant for Exact Sciences.

There are only 15,000 actively
practicing GIs9

Leaving a backlog of 4,000 unscreened patients per GI9

Even with perfect adherence, a colonoscopy-only approach cannot screen all eligible patients9-11

It would take an estimated ~10 years to screen all patients due for CRC screening with colonoscopy alone.9-11¶

Dr James Schultz, MD, and his quote about the challenges with screening colonoscopy due to the limited availability of GIs.

Provider volunteered their expertise.

Not all patients are adherent. In a clinical study, only 38% of patients complete a colonoscopy when referred12

Inforgraphic demonstrating that only only 38% of patients complete a colonoscopy when referred.
When patients don’t follow through with screening, they may be at higher risk of failing to detect and prevent CRC when it is most treatable.1,2
Cologuard box.

Find out how the Cologuard® test can help close the screening gap by overcoming barriers that may prevent colonoscopy completion.13

View Adherence Data

Offering the Cologuard test first and colonoscopy as needed is the best first step to get more average-risk patients aged 45 years and older screened based on USPSTF-recommended modalities.13-15

High Cologuard performance and adherence help you screen more patients for CRC.14,15

Female doctor in her office talking and gesturing to her patient.

According to the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), average risk means3:


  • No prior CRC diagnosis
  • No prior inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis
  • No prior diagnosis of adenomatous polyps
  • No personal or family history of genetic disorders that put someone at high risk of cancer (eg, Lynch syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis)

The Colorectal Cancer Facts for Patients letter helps your eligible patients understand what CRC is and why regular screening is important.

Download

Local CRC screening rates

What percentage of your area is up-to-date with CRC screening?

View Local Screening Rates
  • *Based on the percentage of cases diagnosed with CRC in stage II and stage III (39%) and in stage IV (22%).1
  • †Based on people diagnosed with CRC in stage I, stage IIa, or stage IIb between 2014 and 2020.1
  • ‡The USPSTF found adequate evidence that screening eligible patients aged 45 to 49 years provides a moderate benefit in reducing CRC deaths and increasing life-years gained. USPSTF-recommended screening modalities include stool-based tests or direct visualization tests.3
  • §The ACS makes a qualified recommendation for screening in eligible patients aged 45 to 49 years, indicating clear evidence of benefit of screening but less certainty about the balance of benefits, harms, and patient preferences. ACS-recommended screening modalities include high-sensitivity stool-based tests or structural (visual) examinations.6
  • ||Rates are per 100,000 population, age adjusted to the 2000 US standard population, and exclude data from Puerto Rico. Incidence is adjusted for delays in reporting. All race groups are exclusive of Hispanic origin.1
  • Years to screen each eligible patient calculated based on ~60 million patients at average risk due for CRC screening, ~14,000 actively practicing GIs in the US, and the estimated 426 colonoscopies performed by each GI annually.9-11

FIT=fecal immunochemical test; GI=gastroenterologist.