In 2016, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) added multitarget stool DNA and computed tomography colonography (CTC) as accepted colorectal cancer screening modalities to the already recommended tests: fecal immunochemical test (FIT), sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy. The aim of this study from HIP Investigator Dr. Jennifer Weiss was to determine trends in screening after the USPSTF update, with the effect of additional tests on the use of existing colorectal cancer screening modalities and overall screening rates.
The study prospectively compared monthly colorectal cancer overall screening rates and the mean total numbers of patients screened by multitarget stool DNA, colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, CTC, and FIT 6 months prior to the new USPSTF guidelines until 30 months after. It found that while the overall colorectal cancer screening rate did not increase after the USPSTF update with additional recommended screening tests, practice patterns did change with a shift in the type of screening test used.
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