Colorectal cancer is a common cancer and cause of death, with an estimated 145,000 people in the U.S. diagnosed in 2005, and over 55,000 deaths. Effective strategies are available to reduce the burden of this disease, but these opportunities remain mostly underutilized. Screening can reduce deaths by as much as 60% and can prevent colorectal cancer by finding precancerous polyps before they become cancer. Yet, less than half of U.S. adults receive recommended screening tests.
Research undertaken by Center researchers is led by Drs. Kuntz, Stout, Wang and Bird-Knudsen and takes place at 718 Huntington Ave, as well as at the Minnesota School of Public Health and MGH-ITA and includes:
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developing and enhancing a population-based policy model for colorectal cancer (CISNET) to model the cost-effectiveness of various strategies for prevention, detection and treatment of colorectal cancer in the U.S.
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using an applied cost-effectiveness analysis to evaluate minimally-invasive techniques for imaging and treating patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer.