TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of changes to the interscreening interval and faecal immunochemical test threshold in the national bowel cancer screening programme in England
T2 - results from the FIT pilot study
AU - Li, Shuping J.
AU - Seedher, Tara
AU - Sharples, Linda D.
AU - Benton, Sally C.
AU - Mathews, Christopher
AU - Gabe, Rhian
AU - Sasieni, Peter
AU - Duffy, Stephen W.
N1 - Funding Information:
SJL and TS were supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Methods Fellowship & Internship 2017 (Grant number RM-FI-2017-09-004). SWD and PS’s contribution to this work was part-funded by the National Institute for Health Research Policy Research Programme, conducted through the Policy Research Unit in Cancer Awareness, Screening and Early Diagnosis, PR-PRU-1217-21601. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
PY - 2022/11/1
Y1 - 2022/11/1
N2 - Introduction: The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) faces endoscopy capacity challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and plans to lower the screening starting age. This may necessitate modifying the interscreening interval or threshold. Methods: We analysed data from the English Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) pilot, comprising 27,238 individuals aged 59–75, screened for colorectal cancer (CRC) using FIT. We estimated screening sensitivity to CRC, adenomas, advanced adenomas (AA) and mean sojourn time of each pathology by faecal haemoglobin (f-Hb) thresholds, then predicted the detection of these abnormalities by interscreening interval and f-Hb threshold. Results: Current 2-yearly screening with a f-Hb threshold of 120 μg/g was estimated to generate 16,092 colonoscopies, prevent 186 CRCs, detect 1142 CRCs, 7086 adenomas and 4259 AAs per 100,000 screened over 15 years. A higher threshold at 180 μg/g would reduce required colonoscopies to 11,500, prevent 131 CRCs, detect 1077 CRCs, 4961 adenomas and 3184 AAs. A longer interscreening interval of 3 years would reduce required colonoscopies to 10,283, prevent 126 and detect 909 CRCs, 4796 adenomas and 2986 AAs. Conclusion: Increasing the f-Hb threshold was estimated to be more efficient than increasing the interscreening interval regarding overall colonoscopies per screen-benefited cancer. Increasing the interval was more efficient regarding colonoscopies per cancer prevented.
AB - Introduction: The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) faces endoscopy capacity challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and plans to lower the screening starting age. This may necessitate modifying the interscreening interval or threshold. Methods: We analysed data from the English Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) pilot, comprising 27,238 individuals aged 59–75, screened for colorectal cancer (CRC) using FIT. We estimated screening sensitivity to CRC, adenomas, advanced adenomas (AA) and mean sojourn time of each pathology by faecal haemoglobin (f-Hb) thresholds, then predicted the detection of these abnormalities by interscreening interval and f-Hb threshold. Results: Current 2-yearly screening with a f-Hb threshold of 120 μg/g was estimated to generate 16,092 colonoscopies, prevent 186 CRCs, detect 1142 CRCs, 7086 adenomas and 4259 AAs per 100,000 screened over 15 years. A higher threshold at 180 μg/g would reduce required colonoscopies to 11,500, prevent 131 CRCs, detect 1077 CRCs, 4961 adenomas and 3184 AAs. A longer interscreening interval of 3 years would reduce required colonoscopies to 10,283, prevent 126 and detect 909 CRCs, 4796 adenomas and 2986 AAs. Conclusion: Increasing the f-Hb threshold was estimated to be more efficient than increasing the interscreening interval regarding overall colonoscopies per screen-benefited cancer. Increasing the interval was more efficient regarding colonoscopies per cancer prevented.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136240422&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41416-022-01919-y
DO - 10.1038/s41416-022-01919-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 35974099
AN - SCOPUS:85136240422
SN - 0007-0920
VL - 127
SP - 1525
EP - 1533
JO - British journal of cancer
JF - British journal of cancer
IS - 8
ER -
