[The crypto-hem test in screening for colon cancer]

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Oncology
• Diagnostic Medicine

Context:

• Mass screening programs aim to detect diseases early in asymptomatic populations.
• Early detection of large bowel tumors significantly improves patient outcomes.
• The crypto-hem test is a non-invasive method for detecting occult blood in feces.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the reliability of the crypto-hem test (fecal occult blood test) in diagnosing large bowel tumors during mass screening.
• To determine the prevalence of colorectal tumors in an asymptomatic population aged 45 and older.
• To assess the diagnostic yield of the crypto-hem test in identifying various types of colorectal neoplasms.

Summary:

• A mass screening involving 1573 healthy subjects aged 45+ examined the crypto-hem test's diagnostic accuracy for large bowel tumors.
• The test yielded positive results in 2% and suspicious results in 4.9% of participants.
• Tumors were detected in 95.9% of positive cases, including colorectal cancer (12.5%), polyps (54.2%), and villous tumors (29.2%).

Impact:

• The crypto-hem test proved instrumental in mass screening, enabling the diagnosis of symptom-free colorectal cancer (0.2%), villous tumors (0.6%), and adenomatous polyps (1.1%).
• This screening approach facilitates early detection and intervention for potentially life-threatening colorectal conditions.
• The study highlights the effectiveness of fecal occult blood testing as a cost-effective tool for colorectal cancer prevention and early diagnosis.