The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announced new translations of the recently-published NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Colorectal Cancer Screening. This free resource—made possible through funding from the NCCN Foundation—is now accessible to patients and caregivers in Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Hmong, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

"The NCCN Foundation is committed to advancing cancer care so all patients can live better lives, through funding for evidence-based, trustworthy sources of medical information," said Patrick Delaney, Executive Director, NCCN Foundation. "By translating this book into multiple languages, we are making sure patients and caregivers everywhere can make shared decisions about the right screening fit for them."

Experts are now recommending that colorectal cancer screening begin at age 45 years for people at average risk, and even younger for some in higher risk groups. Access to accurate information on cancer screening is particularly needed right now, as the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a decrease in timely cancer screening and diagnoses—and is projected to result in more later-stage cases.

"Colorectal cancer screening is an incredibly effective tool for improving outcomes and even preventing this commonly-occurring cancer," said Anjee Davis, MPPA, President of Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC). "Screening can reduce the rate of death by detecting CRC at an earlier, more treatable stage, and can reduce overall cancer incidences by finding and removing pre-cancerous polyps. We're happy that this essential information is now accessible for even more people around the world."

The evidence-based, expert-vetted NCCN Guidelines for Patients contain the same information as the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines)—the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer care and the most thorough and frequently updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The patient versions are presented in an easy-to-read format—with charts, images, and a glossary of medical terms. There are now more than 50 translated versions of NCCN Guidelines for Patients available.