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A new review reveals that a home colorectal cancer screening test may be an option as effective as a colonoscopy.
FIT, or fecal immunochemical test, determines whether there is blood in the stool sample of a person who is not visible to the naked eye. The presence of blood in the stool can be an early sign of a colon polyp (a small growth that is not usually cancerous) or colorectal cancer.
In the journal, published yesterday (February 25) in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers examined data from 31 studies comparing the performance of FIT tests to colonoscopies. [5 Lifestyle Tips that Lower Your Risk of Colorectal Cancer]
The study found that the FIT test had a sensitivity of 75 to 80%, which means that it had identified 75 to 80% of people with cancer, said lead author Dr. Thomas Imperiale. -Enterologist at Indiana University School of Medicine. and Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis. In comparison, colonoscopy had a sensitivity of 95%.
These findings suggest that an FIT test performed each year is a very acceptable alternative to colonoscopy for people at average risk for colorectal cancer, said Imperiale at Live Science. A medium risk means that the person does not have a family history of the disease and has no inflammatory bowel disease nor colon polyps. (Unlike colonoscopy, recommended every 10 years, the FIT test is recommended every year.)
The FIT test is performed by placing a paper sling in the toilet seat to catch a stool sample before it hits the bowl, Imperiale said. Then a brush is used to obtain a smaller sample of stool, which is sent to a laboratory for analysis. The results are then sent to the doctors, who communicate the results to their patients. If a patient presents a positive result, he will have to pass a follow-up test in the form of a colonoscopy.
Some of the benefits of the FIT test are that it is easy to do at home and does not require advanced preparation, invasive procedure or sedation, said Imperiale. However, the screening test should be performed more frequently (once a year rather than once a decade) and does not prevent a person from having a colonoscopy because a positive FIT test result would probably require this. procedure.
Which test is the best?
Regardless of the test method used, only about 65% of US adults aged 50 to 75 years are screened for colorectal cancer, according to the study. The disease is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the country.
Thus, with approximately one-third of adults not screened, more evidence is needed regarding the effectiveness of other colorectal cancer screening methods.
Dr. James Allison, a gastroenterologist and researcher emeritus at the Kaiser Permanente Research Division in Northern California, noted that while Americans could be told that colonoscopy was the cancer test "par excellence" colorectal, nothing proved that the test is the best for screening. Allison wrote an editorial on the journal that was also published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
In addition, comparing the performance of a single FIT test to a single colonoscopy application as a screening method for colorectal cancer is like comparing apples to oranges, Allison told Live Science. Indeed, colonoscopy is recommended every 10 years, while the FIT test would be every year, which would discover each year advanced tumors and cancers that can be treated quickly, he noted.
Originally published on Science live.
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