Eliminating cost sharing for colorectal cancer screening between 2010 and 2016 was associated with a 17% decline in incidence, potentially preventing approximately 65,000 of the 290,000 deaths that would have otherwise occurred.
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance and more than 20 partners in its Screen Smart initiative have issued a joint statement encouraging Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to preserve the integrity and function of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The statement follows reports that the Administration may revise the USPSTF, which determines coverage recommendations for preventive services under federal law.
The Alliance, the nation’s largest nonprofit focused on colorectal cancer, emphasizes the importance of maintaining the USPSTF’s evidence-based, independent decision-making process. The organization also expresses support for the Administration’s stated commitment to chronic disease prevention, including cancer, and urges that existing protections for screening services remain intact.
The Screen Smart initiative promotes policies based on clinical data and consensus among stakeholders. Its members advocate that any proposed changes to the USPSTF preserve three principles: that recommendations be based on scientific evidence reviewed by experts in preventive services; that protections for cancer screening remain unchanged; and that the USPSTF’s population-level assessment framework remains distinct from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s evaluation of test safety and efficacy.
The USPSTF’s 2021 recommendation to lower the colorectal cancer screening age from 50 to 45 was prompted by rising incidence in younger populations. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States, yet it can be prevented with timely screening.
The Alliance advises that all patients assess their risk and undergo colorectal cancer screening beginning at age 45, or earlier if at elevated risk. More information is available at getscreened.org.
Signatories of the statement include representatives from the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons, Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates, academic researchers, and diagnostics firms. According to the Alliance, continued access to evidence-based preventive care is necessary to maintain progress in colorectal cancer prevention.
Source: Colorectal Cancer Alliance