Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., with more than 150,000 patients diagnosed and treated annually.
The prevalence of CRC has driven efforts by experts and physicians to expand access to CRC screening to ensure that cases are caught as early as possible.
More than 15 years ago, Michael Potter, MD, a professor of family community medicine at the University of California San Francisco, began working with community health clinics to offer take-home fecal immunochemical tests alongside regular flu vaccines, according to a Sept. 30 UCSF news release. Patients who opt into the tests collect samples at home before sending them to a lab for testing.
Community health centers in all 50 states now use this model, dubbed FluFIT.
Dr. Potter still emphasizes the importance of getting a follow-up colonoscopy if the FIT test produces abnormal results. He also notes that for those with a family history of CRC, screening before the recommended age 45 can be important.