The methods for screening and detecting cancer are becoming increasingly non-invasive, representing a huge step forward for cancer prevention.
Now, researchers say an at-home colon cancer screening test can have major impacts on the risk of death associated with one of the fastest-growing cancers among young people today, colorectal cancer. It may even rival the colonoscopy in its effectiveness.
As we’ve recently covered, colorectal cancer cases have been on the rise. This troubling trend has been identified across a broad range of ages, but most notably among younger adults.
According to the American Cancer Society, nearly double the number of young adults under the age of 55 are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer today compared to a decade ago, and more are dying from the disease each year.
The disease also disproportionately affects some minority groups within the U.S. For example, a recent Harvard Health publication states that compared to whites, African Americans have a 20% higher incidence of colorectal cancer.
But researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and the Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) – and Kaiser Permanente say that a noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer death by 33%.
In their study, published in JAMA Network Open, the researchers examined a test that can be done at home, evaluating the tool’s effectiveness in specific racial groups; the first study of its kind.
The team evaluated data from nearly 11,000 patients who underwent at-home FIT (fecal immunochemical testing) among Kaiser Permanente’s members in Northern and Southern California between 2002 and 2017.
In addition to reducing the risk of colorectal cancer-related death by 33%, researchers noted a 42% lower risk for cancers occurring on the left side of the colon inclusive of rectal cancers. FIT screening was also associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer death among non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White people.
