Fecal immunochemical test screening may impact colorectal cancer surgery rates

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

Screening based on fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) may have an impact on both proximal and distal colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery rates, according to an Italian study published online ahead of print inCancer.

Researchers led by Ugo Fedeli, MD, of the Regional Epidemiological Department categorized patients with CRC in the Veneto region of Italy based on staggered introduction of FIT-based screening programs: early (2002 to 2004), intermediate (2005 to 2007), and late (2008 to 2009).

Proximal and distal CRC surgery rates were investigated in these three populations between 2001 and 2012 through Joinpoint regression analysis and segmented Poisson regression models.

The researchers found that impact of screening was similar in study populations. Distal CRC surgical resection rates were found to be stable before screening, increased at time of screening implementation, and declined afterward by 10 percent annually.

Proximal CRC surgical resection rates increased by four percent annually before screening, but after a peak with screening initiation had reversed thereafter. In addition, the percentage represented by proximal CRC surgery rose from 28 percent in 2001 to 41 percent in 2012.

They concluded that their “findings across each time series demonstrated that FIT-based screening programs have an impact on proximal and distal CRC surgery rates. “ However, they also noted that “underlying preexisting epidemiological trends are leading to a rapidly increasing percentage of proximal CRC.”