South Middlesex Times

A group of students from Rutgers University is making strides in promoting early colorectal cancer screening through a project involving the assembly and distribution of home test kits. Since last September, volunteers from the Rutgers Health Service Corps have been gathering weekly to prepare fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kits for patients at the Eric B. Chandler Health Center, which serves low-income residents in New Brunswick.

Ethan Halm, vice chancellor for population health at Rutgers Health, emphasized the importance of early detection: “Colon cancer is one of the handful of cancers where there’s good data that screening saves lives.” He explained that detecting cancer in its early stages increases treatment success rates.

The initiative aligns with a national health goal to increase colorectal cancer screenings as diagnosis rates among those under 50 have risen by 2% annually. This led to a federal task force lowering the recommended screening age from 50 to 45 in 2021. Despite this change, many remain unaware of the updated guidelines, according to Halm.

Students involved in the project include Lauren Seo, Akishita Prakash, and Miraj Ahmed. They assemble kits at the Eric B. Chandler Health Center and add bilingual instructions before mailing them to patients aged 45 to 75 who are advised by their doctors to undergo testing.

If tests reveal microscopic blood amounts, patients are directed to get a colonoscopy for further examination. Shanik Quirola, another volunteer inspired by the project, switched her major to public health after participating.

Lauren Seo joined after her husband’s prostate cancer diagnosis underscored for her the significance of early detection: “This reminds me of how early detection is important,” she noted. Meanwhile, Miraj Ahmad took FIT kits to an event hosted by the National Pre-med Chapter of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, encouraging attendees to share information about screenings with friends and family.

Halm highlighted that while only 15-35% complete home tests when not up-to-date with screenings, this rate often surpasses those completing colonoscopies when offered: “In the colon cancer screening world, the best test is the test that gets done.”

John Hemphill, program manager and director of Rutgers Health Services Corps, expressed hopes for expanding this operation beyond New Brunswick: “We really want to turn this into a formalized model or structure that helps increase colon cancer screening rates for people in different communities.”