Citywide Effort Boosts New York City's Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates
A coalition formed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in New York resulted in a 40% increase in screening rates over 4 years. The program may serve as a foundation for other communities to boost cancer screening rates, according to results published by Itzkowitz et al in Cancer.
A report spearheaded by Steven Itzkowitz, MD, Professor of Medicine/Oncological Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) and Director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship Training Program of The Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Lina Jandorf, MA, Professor of Oncological Sciences at ISMMS, now provides a framework for how communities might learn from a program initiated by DOHMH to increase screening rates and ensure equal access based on race/ethnicity.
Colonoscopies are one of the most effective ways to reduce colorectal cancer incidence and mortality, and there is now a national campaign to reach colorectal cancer screening rates of 80% by 2018. While rates are increasing, there continue to be significant differences both between states and within states.
Coalition
In 2003, an Advisory Committee organized a citywide coalition, called the C5 Coalition (NYC Citywide Colon Cancer Control Coalition), which included physicians, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, health-care plans, unions, medical societies, and advocacy and survivor groups. Initiatives to increase screening colonoscopy rates while at the same time targeting communities with the lowest rates included public education, outreach to health-care providers, culturally and linguistically tailored campaigns, and other programs to boost awareness and overcome hurdles to effective screening.
Results
As a result of this concerted effort, the overall screening colonoscopy rate in New York City rose from 42% in 2003 to 62% in 2007, a rate that was not reached nationally until 2012. Moreover, this was accompanied by a sustained elimination of disparities based on ethnicity.
“The increased screening rates from 2003 to 2012 translates to an additional 833,000 New Yorkers who have undergone screening colonoscopy and represents an important public health intervention,” said Dr. Itzkowitz. “By making screening accessible and providing high quality screenings, we can reduce the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer in men and women.”
In 2014, the screening rate reached nearly 70%.
“We know that routine colorectal screenings save lives, and we continue to educate the public of the importance of this,” said Jandorf. “Thanks to our efforts, screening rates have dramatically increased and lives have been saved.”
“This Coalition has demonstrated how public agencies and community stakeholders can partner to successfully increase colonoscopy screening and eliminate ethnic disparities in a large urban diverse population,” said Sidney Winawer, MD, C5 Coalition Advisory Committee member and Chairman of Gastroenterology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
