The Impact of a Six-Year Existing Screening Programme Using the Faecal Immunochemical Test in Flanders (Belgium) on Colorectal Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Survival
A Population-Based Study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15475960 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thuy Ngan Tran (0000-0002-6799-6477, University of Antwerp, corresponding author), Sarah Hoeck (0000-0001-8754-3953, University of Antwerp), Helder De Schutter (0000-0002-2031-984X), Harlinde De Schutter (Research Department, Belgian Cancer Registry, 1210 Brussels, Belgium), Sharon Janssens (0000-0001-9472-5341, Research Department, Belgian Cancer Registry, 1210 Brussels, Belgium), Marc Peeters (0000-0003-4969-2303, University of Antwerp), Guido Van Hal (0000-0002-4611-4076, University of Antwerp) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 1654-1654 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-16 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph20021654 |
| PMID | 36674409 |
| OpenAlex | W4316672729 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 43 |
The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) has been increasingly used for organised colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. We assessed the impact of a six-year existing FIT screening programme in Flanders (Belgium) on CRC incidence, mortality and survival. The Flemish CRC screening programme started in 2013, targeting individuals aged 50-74 years. Joinpoint regression was used to investigate trends of age-standardised CRC incidence and mortality among individuals aged 50-79 years (2004-2019). Their 5-year relative survival was calculated using the Ederer II method. We found that FIT screening significantly reduced CRC incidence, especially that of advanced-stage CRCs (69.8/100,000 in 2012 vs. 51.1/100,000 in 2019), with a greater impact in men. Mortality started to decline in men two years after organised screening implementation (annual reduction of 9.3% after 2015 vs. 2.2% before 2015). The 5-year relative survival was significantly higher in screen-detected (93.8%) and lower in FIT non-participant CRCs (61.9%) vs. FIT interval cancers and CRCs in never-invited cases (67.6% and 66.7%, respectively). Organised FIT screening in Flanders clearly reduced CRC incidence (especially advanced-stage) and mortality (in men, but not yet in women). Survival is significantly better in screen-detected cases vs. CRCs in unscreened people. Our findings support the implementation of FIT organised screening and the continued effort to increase uptake
Biology · Cancer · Cancer registry · Colorectal cancer · Environmental health · Flemish · Geography · Incidence (geometry · Population · Relative survival · Test (biology · Colorectal Cancer Screening and Detection · Demography · Gastric Cancer Management and Outcomes · Genetic factors in colorectal cancer · Medicine · Internal Medicine
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |