title: [Test and programme sensitivities of screening for colorectal cancer in Reggio Emilia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to estimate the sensitivity of the immunochemical test for faecal occult blood (FOBT) and the sensitivity of the colorectal tumour screening programme in the province of Reggio Emilia.
  
  
  METHODS
  retrospective cohort study, including a sample of 80,357 people of both genders, aged 50-69, who underwent FOBT, during the first round of the screening programme in the province of Reggio Emilia, from April 2005 to December 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  incidence of interval cancer. The proportional incidence method was used to estimate the sensitivity of FOBT and of the screening programme. Data were stratified according to gender, age and year of interval.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the overall sensitivity of FOBT was 73.2% (95%IC 63.8-80.7). The sensitivity of FOBT was lower in females (70.5% vs 75.1%), higher in the 50-59 age group (78.6% vs 70.2%) and higher in the colon than rectum (75.1% vs 68.9%). The test had a significantly higher sensitivity in the 1st year of interval than in the 2nd (84.4% vs 60.5%; RR=0.39, 95%IC 0.22-0.70), a difference which was confirmed, also when data were stratified according to gender. The overall sensitivity of the programme is 70.9% (95%IC 61.5-78.5). No statistically significant differences were shown, if data were stratified according to gender, age or site. Again the sensitivity in the 1st year was significantly higher than in the 2nd year of interval (83.2% vs 57.0%; RR=0.41, 95%IC 0.24-0.69). Overall our data confirmed the findings of similar Italian studies, despite subgroup analysis showed some differences in sensitivity in our study.
authors.affiliation: Staff programmazione e controllo, Centro screening, Azienda unità sanitaria locale, Reggio Emilia, Italy. cinzia.campari@ausl.re.it
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Campari
authors.forename: Romano
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sassatelli
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paterlini
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Camellini
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menozzi
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cattani
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D000236:Adenoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D000368:Aged; D003113:Colonoscopy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009780:Occult Blood; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity