TOPLINE:
People aged 75 years or older (the upper age limit of colorectal cancer [CRC] screening) who had a negative fecal immunochemical test (FIT) but a detectable fecal hemoglobin (f-Hb) concentration at their last screening are nearly five times as likely to develop CRC than are those with no detectable f-Hb concentration, suggests a study from the Netherlands.
METHODOLOGY:
- The researchers evaluated whether the interval CRC risk differed by f-Hb concentration of the last FIT.
- Individuals with a negative FIT (< 47 µg Hb/g feces) in their final CRC screening round were checked for a CRC diagnosis within 24 months of their negative FIT.
- Interval CRC risk were assessed using survival and Cox proportional hazards analyses.
- Stage distribution was identified using a multivariable logistic regression analysis.