Seattle hospital screening program connects patients to lifesaving cancer care
University of Washington Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle, Wash.
The University of Washington Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Colorectal Cancer Screening Program is helping more people detect colorectal cancer early through at-home tests, clinician outreach and patient navigation support. The award-winning, Seattle-based program has increased screening rates across the health care organizations while helping patients complete critical follow-up care.
One of those patients was Kandice Austin. After receiving a positive result on her second annual at-home screening test, she initially questioned its accuracy. But after a UW Medicine physician contacted her through the screening program, urging her to get a follow-up colonoscopy, doctors confirmed she had colon cancer. Because it was detected early, Austin underwent surgery the following month, and doctors determined the cancer had not spread. Austin has now been cancer-free for over a year and a half and encourages others to get screened.
“Don’t take the home kit lightly because it caught something I was not taking seriously,” she said.
Austin’s experience highlights the program's impact: combining screening, education and follow-up support to help more patients receive lifesaving care through early detection.