title: Screening for colorectal cancer in Uruguay with an immunochemical faecal occult blood test.
abstract: An observational prospective study was carried out in Uruguay to evaluate the feasibility of colorectal cancer screening using immunochemical faecal occult blood tests with no dietary restrictions in an average-risk population. An automated system was used for processing the samples with a cut-off haemoglobin level of 100 ng/ml. Of the 11,734 study participants who received an immunochemical test kit (OC-Hemodia), 10,573 (90.1%) returned samples for screening. The results of 1170 (11.1%) of the responders were positive. Subsequently, colonoscopy was performed on 879 (75.1%) of the participants with a positive test result and showed neoplasia in 330 participants. Fifty four had advanced cancer, 47 had early cancer, 131 had high-risk adenoma and 98 had low-risk adenoma. The detection rates and the positive predictive values were 0.95 and 8.6% for cancer, and 1.24 and 11.2% for high-risk adenoma, respectively. The high compliance and high detection rates for cancer and high-risk adenoma achieved in the colorectal cancer screening programme verifies the feasibility of an immunochemical faecal occult blood test in screening an average-risk population in Uruguay, a country with a small population, but with high morbidity and mortality rates for this disease.
authors.affiliation: Digestive Cancer Centre, National Cancer Institute, Montevideo, Uruguay. efenocchi@adinet.com.uy
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fenocchi
authors.forename: Luz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tolve
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Montano
authors.forename: Mariella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rondán
authors.forename: Adolfo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parra-Blanco
authors.forename: Yoshinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Eishi
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D003113:Colonoscopy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009780:Occult Blood; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D014583:Uruguay