Comparing Colorectal Cancer Screening Modalities

Fecal immunochemical tests (FIT), sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy are the most commonly used modalities for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening worldwide. However, there is a lack of comparative data, particularly regarding multiple-round FIT versus endoscopic screening strategies.

Now, investigators have combined the findings of three population trials in which more than 30,000 average-risk, screening-naive individuals in the Netherlands (median age, 59 years) received invitations for FIT, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy screening. Persons in the FIT group were invited to use a FIT kit every other year, and those in the sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy groups were invited to undergo the procedure once. Those with a positive FIT (≥10 μg Hb/g feces) …