Immunochemical faecal occult blood test: number of samples and positivity cutoff.
2009

Best Strategies for Colorectal Cancer Screening with Immunochemical Tests

Sample size: 20596 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Grazzini G, Visioli C B, Zorzi M, Ciatto S, Banovich F, Bonanomi A G, Bortoli A, Castiglione G, Cazzola L, Confortini M, Mantellini P, Rubeca T, Zappa M

Primary Institution: ISPO Cancer Prevention and Research Institute Florence

Hypothesis

What is the best strategy for colorectal cancer screening using immunochemical faecal occult blood tests?

Conclusion

Different screening strategies impact the detection rates of advanced adenomas and cancers, with no single strategy showing clear superiority.

Supporting Evidence

  • Immunochemical tests have shown greater sensitivity than guaiac tests in colorectal cancer screening.
  • The positivity rate for the reference strategy was 4.5%.
  • The cancer detection rate for the reference strategy was 2.8‰.
  • Advanced adenomas were detected at a rate of 15.6‰ with the reference strategy.
  • Different strategies had varying impacts on adenoma detection rates.

Takeaway

This study looked at different ways to test for colon cancer using stool samples, finding that some methods are better at finding certain types of growths than others.

Methodology

The study evaluated different positivity thresholds and sampling strategies in a multicentric setting involving four population-based screening programs.

Limitations

The study was not designed to find differences in cancer stage distribution among strategies, and the sample size may limit generalizability.

Participant Demographics

Subjects aged 50–69 years, with a slight prevalence of women (53.8%).

Statistical Information

Confidence Interval

95% CI

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1038/sj.bjc.6604864

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication