Colorectal Cancer Screening Project | 2023-15

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Maryland has a relatively high incidence rate of colon rectal cancer (CRC), with 2,608 new cases reported in 2019. The age-adjusted CRC rate in Maryland is 35.7 per 100,000, slightly lower than the national rate of 36.7 per 100,000. The incidence rates of CRC have shown a slight increase of 0.2% per year from 2015 to 2019.<br /><br />In terms of staging, 28.4% of CRC cases in 2019 were identified as local, while 39.4% were regional. 21% were identified as regional, and 11.2% were unstaged.<br /><br />To combat CRC, Maryland has implemented screening programs. According to the 2020 Maryland Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 76.6% of individuals aged 50 or older are up to date with CRC screening. In 2022, 1,479 people were screened for CRC, with that number increasing to 1,590 in 2023. It is worth noting that racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 88% of the individuals screened. The screenings identified 13 cases of CRC in 2022 and 25 cases in 2023.<br /><br />Pilot program clinics in 2022 showed promising results in increasing the rate of FIT test kit return and colonoscopy completion. The FIT test kit return rate increased from 31% to 77%, while the colonoscopy completion rate increased from 12% to 53%.<br /><br />Overall, Maryland is making efforts to address the incidence of CRC through screening programs, and the pilot program clinics have shown positive outcomes in increasing screening participation and subsequent colonoscopy completion.

Asset Subtitle

Alpha Banks, MD

Keywords

Maryland

colon rectal cancer

CRC

incidence rate

new cases

age-adjusted rate

staging

screening programs

FIT test kit

colonoscopy completion