Mass screening for colorectal cancer--the Philadelphia experience

On May 18, 1985, the Philadelphia Division of the American Cancer Society and WCAU-TV entered into a jointly-sponsored colorectal health day to do mass screening throughout the greater Philadelphia area. This was preceded by a week-long series of television awareness programs, and an organization based on having individual hospital coordinators for those hospitals participating. A total of 46 hospitals in Pennsylvania alone participated in this project, and over 16,000 people were screened in a single day. 410 patients had positive stools for occult blood on site, and 359 were positive on take-home 3-packs. Rectal pathology was diagnosed initially in 502 patients. 13 colorectal cancers and 38 polyps have been diagnosed directly as a result of this screen. Total cost to the Cancer Society was $13,300, meaning each diagnosed cancer cost $1,023 and each cancer or polyp cost $266 in actual funds expended for the screen. This overwhelming response by the public to such a mass screening effort indicates the potential for such programs for colorectal cancer, and the techniques employed in planning, implementing, and following up on data retrieval are discussed. This mass screening effort should serve as a model for future projects, and emphasize the importance not only of interrelationships with the media, but also liaison efforts with a network of area hospitals and individual hospital coordinators.