Strategies and Opportunities to STOP Colon Cancer in Priority Populations: design of a cluster-randomized pragmatic trial

Contemp Clin Trials. 2014 Jul;38(2):344-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2014.06.006. Epub 2014 Jun 14.

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The Strategies and Opportunities to Stop Colorectal Cancer (STOP CRC) in Priority Populations study is a pragmatic trial and a collaboration between two research institutions and a network of more than 200 safety net clinics. The study will assess the effectiveness of a system-based intervention designed to improve the rates of colorectal-cancer screening using fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) in federally qualified health centers in Oregon and Northern California.

Material and methods: STOP CRC is a cluster-randomized comparative-effectiveness pragmatic trial enrolling 26 clinics. Clinics will be randomized to one of two arms. Clinics in the intervention arm (1) will use an automated, data-driven, electronic health record-embedded program to identify patients due for colorectal screening and mail FIT kits (with pictographic instructions) to them; (2) will conduct an improvement process (e.g. Plan-Do-Study-Act) to enhance the adoption, reach, and effectiveness of the program. Clinics in the control arm will provide opportunistic colorectal-cancer screening to patients at clinic visits. The primary outcomes are: proportion of age- and screening-eligible patients completing a FIT within 12months; and cost, cost-effectiveness, and return on investment of the intervention.

Conclusions: This large-scale pragmatic trial will leverage electronic health record information and existing clinic staff to enroll a broad range of patients, including many with historically low colorectal-cancer screening rates. If successful, the program will provide a model for a cost-effective and scalable method to raise colorectal-cancer screening rates.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01742065.

Keywords: Cluster-randomized study; Colorectal cancer screening; Fecal immunochemical test; Pragmatic study.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Colonoscopy
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Early Detection of Cancer / methods*
  • Electronic Health Records
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Occult Blood
  • Research Design*
  • Risk Factors
  • Safety-net Providers / organization & administration*
  • Single-Blind Method

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01742065