WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Komodo Health, a leading healthcare technology company, deepens its commitment to the White House Cancer Moonshot Initiative, joining patient advocates, industry innovators, federal policymakers, and public health officials to accelerate progress against colorectal cancer (CRC). During the meeting, Komodo will unveil new findings from its Healthcare Map supporting the need for earlier screening, which is especially urgent in light of pandemic-related impacts. While CRC screening rates have returned to the normal baseline, they have not made up for the 90% drop in colonoscopies seen in the spring of 2020, at the height of the pandemic.
As part of the company’s research collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Fight CRC, Komodo is evaluating the time from first screening to diagnosis across different screening modalities — examining how factors such as age, race, gender, geography, and other socioeconomic considerations play roles in CRC disparities. The research effort aims to drive insights at the federal level to improve early detection in the communities that need it most.
“Putting a spotlight around inequities in healthcare has never been more important, and colorectal cancer unfortunately paints a clear picture of how healthcare disparities play out in the real world,” said Arif Nathoo, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of Komodo Health. “We know that insights from real-world data can play a valuable role in better supporting the incredible work of advocacy leaders like Fight CRC and efforts of President Biden’s Moonshot Initiative. This coalition brings together a network of industry leaders to break down industry silos and drive us toward a new vision of what's possible in colorectal cancer care.”
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. While CRC diagnoses and deaths have steadily declined in recent decades as a result of increased screening rates, rates of both continue to increase in younger patient populations, and stark location- and race-based disparities continue to put many Americans at higher risk. Insights from Komodo’s Healthcare Map underscore the urgency of action among advocates, governments, and healthcare providers to improve early detection and access to care, especially because CRC presents in many different ways and can even be asymptomatic. Komodo’s Fast Facts: Colorectal Cancer, also unveiled today, sheds additional light on trends in CRC screening, diagnosis, treatment, and care. Key findings on early-onset CRC trends include:
- Impact of the pandemic: While colonoscopy screenings have rebounded to the pre-pandemic rate, there’s been no influx to compensate for the drop in care. Screenings had declined by 90% in mid-2020, and new CRC diagnoses had declined by 50%.
- Trends in early onset: Patients under age 35 are most likely to first present with symptoms of anemia and abdominal pain. These are also the most common red flags for CRC diagnosis in emergency department visits for patients under age 35.
- Disparities in care: While only 24% of all patients diagnosed with colon cancer in 2021-2022 identified as Black/Hispanic, this number rose to 35% in the 40-45 age group.
Real-world insights from Komodo increasingly serve as a pillar of insight for guiding public health and policy initiatives on a range of oncology challenges. These findings and others reported by Komodo Health underscore the critical importance of screening for the early detection of CRC, and Komodo joins the call for bold action, targeting the patient populations that are at greatest risk.
In addition to the forum, Komodo Health will join Fight CRC’s coalition dedicated to developing a blueprint for addressing the serious equity gaps facing communities and affecting CRC prevention in America. It will also highlight the patient screening journey and set bold metrics for increasing screening and improving patient care.
The White House Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum builds on a meeting convened by the White House and Fight CRC in July 2022 with the White House Cancer Moonshot coordinators and representatives from federal agencies in response to President Joe Biden's call to improve and increase access to CRC screening. In support of this effort, Komodo has generated reports on pandemic impacts to CRC care, disparities in care, and trends in early-age CRC onset. Effective public and provider awareness campaigns require reliable, high-fidelity evidence from real-world data. As such, insights from Komodo continue to shape policy discussions and inform the work of federal and state agencies, policymakers, advocacy organizations, payers, drugmakers, and academic institutions alike.
“Our focus at the Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum is to advocate for taking action, not just talk about it but operationalize change,” said Anjee Davis, Fight CRC President. “We need to dig deeper into the systemic and behavioral patterns that accompany colorectal cancer from screening to treatment and identify the best opportunities to intervene, educate, and —ultimately — drive large-scale advancements. We have the momentum to do this, and it will ultimately save lives.”
The White House Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum takes place today, Friday, March 10, from 3 PM to 5:30 PM ET. The forum will be closed to the media; however, it will be livestreamed by the White House at wh.gov/live. Komodo Health’s involvement in the Cancer Moonshot Initiative is part of Komodo’s broader commitment to reduce the global burden of disease and use its full-stack technology platform to democratize access to patient-level insights that can improve health outcomes.
About Komodo Health
Komodo Health is a technology platform company creating the new standard for real-world data and analytics. Komodo pairs the industry’s most complete view of patient encounters with enterprise software and machine learning to connect the dots between individual patient journeys and large-scale health outcomes. Across Life Sciences, payers, providers, and developers, Komodo helps its customers unearth patient-centric insights at scale. The company marries clinical data with advanced algorithms and AI-powered software solutions to inform decision-making, close gaps in care, address disease burden, and help enterprises create a more cost-effective, equitable, and value-driven healthcare system. For more information, visit komodohealth.com
