Rachel Issaka, MD, MAS: Effective CRC Prevention Programs Require Multispecialty Commitment

Effective colorectal cancer screening programs are organized to tap expertise across specialties, Rachel Issaka, MD, MAS, told internists during her presentation at the 2025 ACP Internal Medicine Meeting in New Orleans.

Issaka, associate professor of medicine and the Kathryn Surace-Smith endowed chair in health equity research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, spoke with Patient Care© following her presentation and highlighted the integral role in the patient's journey of the frontline primary care clinicians, who advocate for regular screening, gastroenterologists, who provide guidance in the event of an abnormal finding, and oncologists, who manage treatment of disease. She also noted the contributions of an IT team to ensure the timely and consistent flow of information that will support identification of patients who are eligible for CRC screening.

Representation of all stakeholders is one key to the success of a program but methodical documentation is essential, Issaka said, to ensure the correct population is addressed and that there is meticulous follow-through for all patients who are identified.