How Do Fecal Immunochemical Test Cutoff Changes Affect Interval Colorectal Cancer Risk?

Interval CRC incidence was increased and sensitivity decreased at a higher cutoff, but overall performance remained acceptable.

The performance characteristics of the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening depend on the cutoff set to define a positive result. The Dutch national CRC screening program employs a biennial FIT (FOB-gold, Sentinel, Italy). In 2014, the positivity cutoff was increased from 15 to 47 µg Hb/g feces because higher-than-expected positivity and participation rates strained available colonoscopy resources.

In this study, investigators report the effect of increasing the FIT positivity threshold on sensitivity for CRC and risk for interval CRC (cancer diagnosed within the time interval between two tests, after a negative baseline FIT). The results were as follows:

There were 126 interval CRCs diagnosed among 111,800 FI…

Reviewing Author

Charles J. Kahi, MD, MS

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) HSR&D; VA Cooperative Studies Program; VA QUERI

Editorial BoardsClinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology; AGA Perspectives

Charles J. Kahi, MD, MS

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) HSR&D; VA Cooperative Studies Program; VA QUERI

Editorial BoardsClinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology; AGA Perspectives

How Do Fecal Immunochemical Test Cutoff Changes Affect Interval Colorectal Cancer Risk?

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Reviewing Author