Pulse.

a daily field guide to health research that matters

◆ Console

‹ Fri · 24 Jul 2026
Early cancer detection or prevention

The COMPLETE-CRC Screening Initiative: Increasing Colonoscopy Completion After Positive Stool-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening.

Calling patients directly about abnormal stool cancer screening results dramatically increases the chances they follow up with colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Stool-based tests (SBTs) are increasingly used for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening; however, follow-up colonoscopy rates after positive results remain suboptimal. Direct patient contact was associated with significantly higher colonoscopy completion than indirect outreach (16.7% vs 2.1%; p < 0.001).

What the study was

Study design
Observational/unspecified
Population
cancer patients
Sample size
2548
Category
Early Detection
Maturity
Exploratory
Journal
Digestive diseases and sciences

Why it surfaced

Score 6/10 [EARLY_CANCER_DETECTION]: Observational/unspecified (Journal Article) matched 'Early cancer detection (liquid biopsy, c'. Components — novelty:1/3, relevance:2/3, design:1/2, population:2/2. Confidence: medium. Conservative scoring applied per v1.3 rubric.

A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.