Researchers at Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system have received $32.7 million for a trial to evaluate whether colonoscopy or stool-based testing is more effective at preventing colorectal cancer among older adults with a history of colon polyps.
Audrey Calderwood, MD, director of Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Comprehensive Gastroenterology Center and associate professor of medicine at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, will lead the research team.
"The proposed trial will compare colonoscopy and stool-based testing for the prevention of colorectal cancer in adults 70 and older with prior small colon polyps," she said in an Oct. 5 news release.
"In addition, we will gather information on important patient-centered outcomes, including satisfaction with and trust in testing, cancer worry, perceived cancer susceptibility and emotional benefits of surveillance. Results will bring meaningful change in the delivery of colorectal cancer prevention for older adults with a history of colon polyps by offering a safe and convenient alternative to colonoscopy."
The award is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a nonprofit established in 2010 that funds research to provide evidence-based information for patients and caregivers to make better-informed care decisions.