|
Cancer > Cancer Screening
Cancer Screening
The Community Guide has conducted systematic reviews of interventions designed to improve early detection and control of cancer by increasing screenings for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer.
- The interventions reviewed address:
- client-oriented strategies (e.g., education, reminders)
- barriers to screenings (e.g., costs, access)
- provider-oriented approaches (e.g., incentives, reminders)
The following list identifies all current Task Force on Community Preventive Services findings for increasing breast, cervical, and colorectal screening. The Task Force considered client-based interventions separately for the three types of cancer sites (breast, cervical, and colorectal) because the clients for each of these screening tests can be very different. They considered provider-oriented interventions across all three sites because providers might be influenced by similar factors when deciding whether to recommend screening for their various clients.
Task Force Findings
The Task Force on Community Preventive Services uses the terms below to describe their findings. Each finding is based on the strength of the evidence of effectiveness in changing outcomes, found through systematic reviews of published literature, conducted by a team of experts on behalf of the Task Force. When choosing interventions to implement, decision makers should consider the Task Force recommendations in light of local needs, goals, and constraints.
Recommended –The systematic review of available studies provides strong or sufficient evidence that the intervention is effective.
Recommended Against – The systematic review of available studies provides sufficient or strong evidence that the intervention is harmful or not effective.
Insufficient Evidence – The available studies do not provide sufficient evidence to determine if the intervention is, or is not, effective. This does NOT mean that the intervention does not work. It means that additional research is needed to determine whether or not the intervention is effective.
What are RTIPs and why consider them?
If you’ve ever wondered how to apply the Task Force findings related to cancer prevention and control, RTIPs -- Research-tested Intervention Programs -- are for you. Designed to help cancer control program staff, planners and researchers make decisions about the best program options for their needs, RTIPS:
- were developed under the auspices of the National Cancer Institute as part of Cancer Control P.L.A.N.E.T., a Web portal that provides access to the most current and scientifically valid information available about comprehensive cancer control.
- describe evidence-based cancer prevention and control programs that:
- have been implemented in community or clinical settings for specific populations
- were developed and tested by researchers
- include free program materials that can be previewed, downloaded or ordered on CD-ROM
- include program materials that can be previewed and ordered directly from the developer (cost may apply).
- include only programs that meet the following criteria:
- were developed and tested through a peer-reviewed research grant (excluding Career Development Research Grants)
- research findings were published in a peer-reviewed journal
- include messages, materials and other intervention components that can be used in community or clinical settings.
Prior to and during the literature review and data analysis, the review team and the Task Force on Community Preventive Services attempt to address the key questions of what interventions work, for whom, under what conditions, and at what cost. Lack of sufficient information often leaves one or more of these questions unanswered. The Community Guide refers to these as “research gaps". Research gaps are pulled together in the form of a basic set of questions to inform a research agenda for those in the field. Each completed Community Guide review includes a section on research gaps (or issues) and this is included in final evidence review publications.
Cancer is a major public health problem in the United States. For more information on the scope of this problem, visit
Background on Screening for Breast, Cervical and Colorectal Cancers.
Publications on this topic can be found in the Community Guide Library.
Community Guide Methods
Slide Sets
Comprehensive Cancer Control Reviews from the Community Guide
More Information about Cancer
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Cancer Institute
American Cancer Society
Comprehensive cancer control planning
Cancer Control P.L.A.N.E.T.
Summary of Findings
Logic Model
FAQ's
Candidate Studies
top of page
|
