Faecal calprotectin in patients with suspected colorectal cancer: a diagnostic accuracy study

NICE guidance exists for the use of faecal calprotectin (FC) when irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease are suspected. Often, however, colorectal cancer is considered within the differential. Should FC have a high diagnostic accuracy for colorectal cancer, it may be applicable as a primary care screening test for all patients with lower gastrointestinal symptoms.

To determine the negative and positive predictive value (NPV/PPV) of FC in patients referred from primary care with suspected colorectal cancer.

A diagnostic accuracy study conducted at a single secondary care site

Consenting patients referred with suspected colorectal cancer within the '2-week wait' pathway provided a stool sample for FC prior to investigation. FC levels were reconciled with end diagnoses: cancer, adenomatous polyps ≥10 mm, and all enteric organic disease.

A total of 654 patients completed the evaluation; median age 69 years, female 56%. The NPV for colorectal cancer was 98.6% and 97.2% when including polyps ≥10 mm. The PPV for all organic enteric disease was 32.7%. The diagnostic yield for cancer based on clinical suspicion was 6.3%. By altering the FC cut-off to fix the NPV at 97.0%, the PPV for cancer increased from 8.7% to 13.3%.

FC has a high NPV for colorectal cancer and significant polyps in patients with suspected cancer. In total, 27.8% of patients had a normal FC and could safely have been spared a '2-week wait' referral. The addition of FC testing into the current symptom-based assessment has the potential to increase colorectal cancer detection rate yet be clinically and cost effective.