The C-SPAN Coalition: Colorectal Cancer Screening and Patient Navigation (C-SPAN)
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The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03181334 |
Recruitment Status :
Active, not recruiting
First Posted : June 8, 2017
Last Update Posted : April 21, 2020
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Participants will be mailed an invitation to complete CRC screening along with a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kit, containing a 1-sample "Polymedco Over the Counter (OC) Sensor FIT", simplified English/Spanish instructions on performing the test, educational information about colorectal cancer screening and a return mailer with prepaid postage.
Processes that will be used to promote screening completion include automated and "live" phone call reminders to encourage completion of FIT testing.
Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 5 interventions across 3 conditions, described below:
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Condition 1 (Standard Intervention):
- Branch I: Participants assigned to the control condition will receive a FIT kit and the standard invitation letter to participate in free screening.
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Condition 2 (Time Guideline):
- Branch II: Participants will receive a FIT kit and invitation letter to participate in free screening with a 1-week time restriction.
- Branch III: Participants will receive a FIT kit and invitation letter to participate in free screening with a 3-week time restriction.
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Condition 3 (Time Guideline + Incentive):
- Branch IV: Participants will receive a FIT kit and invitation letter to participate in free screening requesting they return the kit within 1-week for a "higher" monetary incentive or within 3 weeks for a "lower" (half of the higher) monetary incentive.
- Branch V: Participants will receive a FIT kit and invitation letter to participate in free screening requesting they return the kit within 1-week for a "higher" (same as lower in Branch IV) monetary incentive or within 3 weeks for a "lower" (half of the higher) monetary incentive.
Participants with a normal test result will receive a personal letter confirming this with invitations to complete a repeat screening in subsequent year(s). Participants receiving an abnormal FIT result will be navigated to complete a diagnostic colonoscopy.
Participants continuing in the screening program in subsequent years will receive letters emphasizing the importance of repeat screening to prevent adverse CRC outcomes.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Colorectal Cancer | Behavioral: Branch I Behavioral: Branch II Behavioral: Branch III Behavioral: Branch IV Behavioral: Branch V | Not Applicable |

Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 8000 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Health Services Research |
Official Title: | The C-SPAN Coalition: Colorectal Cancer Screening and Patient Navigation |
Actual Study Start Date : | September 5, 2017 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | March 15, 2018 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | December 2020 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Active Comparator: Branch I
Condition 1: (Standard Intervention) Mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kit including the following: Invitation letter to complete free colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. |
Behavioral: Branch I
FIT kits and a Standard (control) invitation letter to complete CRC screening is mailed to the homes of eligible patients.
Other Name: Condition 1 - Standard Intervention |
Experimental: Branch II and Branch III
Condition 2: (Time Guideline) Mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kit including the following: Invitation to complete free colorectal cancer (CRC) screening within a specified time frame: Branch II - Brief Time (1-week) Branch III - Extended Time (3-weeks) |
Behavioral: Branch II
FIT kits and a Brief Time invitation to complete CRC screening is mailed to the homes of eligible patients. Time letters are used to evaluate the effect of procrastination on CRC screening compliance. Participants are assigned to the following intervention: Branch II: Invitation letter to participate in free CRC screening, requesting they return the kit within 1-week. Other Names:
Behavioral: Branch III FIT kits and an Extended Time invitation to complete CRC screening is mailed to the homes of eligible patients. Time letters are used to evaluate the effect of procrastination on CRC screening compliance. Participants are assigned to the following intervention: Branch III: Invitation letter to participate in free CRC screening, requesting they return the kit within 3-weeks. Other Names:
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Experimental: Branch IV and Branch V
Condition 3: (Time Guideline + Incentive) Mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kit including the following: Invitation to complete free colorectal (CRC) screening within a specified time frame with a monetary incentive: Branch IV - High Incentive Branch V - Low Incentive |
Behavioral: Branch IV
FIT kits and a Time + Incentive invitation to complete CRC screening is mailed to the homes of eligible patients. Time + Incentive letters are used to evaluate the effect of incentive on procrastination in CRC screening compliance. Participants are assigned to the following intervention: Branch IV: Invitation letter to participate in free CRC screening, requesting they return the kit within 1-week for a "higher" incentive or within 3-weeks for a "lower" (half of the higher) incentive. Other Names:
Behavioral: Branch V FIT kits and a Time + Incentive invitation to complete CRC screening is mailed to the homes of eligible patients. Time + Incentive letters are used to evaluate the effect of incentive on procrastination in CRC screening compliance. Participants are assigned to the following intervention: Branch V: Invitation letter to participate in free CRC screening, requesting they return the kit within 1-week for a "higher" (same as lower Branch IV) or within 3-weeks for a "lower" (half of lower Branch IV) incentive. Other Names:
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- Increase in colorectal cancer screening rate of the 5 tested invitation approaches. [ Time Frame: 24 days [3 week + 3 days for mailing] from time of mailed invitation ]Primary analysis will be proportion of participants returning their kit within 24 days of mailing. We a priori computed sample size required to have 80% power to detect at least an 8% absolute increase in screening between each branch. We planned for 10 pairwise comparisons with a two-sided 0.005 (=0.05/10) significance level and Bonferroni correction. Estimated return rate for the control was 36.5%. Based on these parameters, we estimate requiring at least 1,026 individuals per group. To maximize sample receiving outreach, the final sample will randomize all eligible patients and is expected to be larger than 1,026 per group.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 50 Years to 74 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Uninsured or Underinsured
- English or Spanish speaking
- No history of colon cancer or colon resection
- No history of inflammatory bowel disease
- Colonoscopy not completed in the last 10 years
- Sigmoidoscopy not completed in the last 5 years
- Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) not completed in the last year
- Complete contact information on file
- Not incarcerated or homeless
Exclusion Criteria:
- Under 50 or over 74 years of age
- Insured but not underinsured
- Other than English or Spanish speaking
- History of colon cancer or colon resection
- History of inflammatory bowel disease
- Colonoscopy completed within the last 10 years
- Sigmoidoscopy completed within the last 5 years
- FOBT or FIT screening completed within the last year
- Incomplete contact information (i.e., no address or phone number on file)
- Incarcerated or homeless

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03181334
United States, Texas | |
John Peter Smith Health Network | |
Fort Worth, Texas, United States, 76104 | |
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Moncrief Cancer Institute | |
Fort Worth, Texas, United States, 76104 |
Principal Investigator: | Keith E Argenbright, MD | UT Southwestern Medical Center, Moncrief Cancer Institute | |
Study Director: | Samir Gupta, MD | University of California, San Diego |
Responsible Party: | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03181334 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
STU 012016-034 |
First Posted: | June 8, 2017 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | April 21, 2020 |
Last Verified: | April 2020 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Undecided |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
colorectal cancer neoplasm |
CRC screening FIT Fecal Immunochemical Test |
Colorectal Neoplasms Intestinal Neoplasms Gastrointestinal Neoplasms Digestive System Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Neoplasms |
Digestive System Diseases Gastrointestinal Diseases Colonic Diseases Intestinal Diseases Rectal Diseases |