title: Uptake of faecal immunochemical test screening among nonparticipants in a flexible sigmoidoscopy screening programme.
abstract: Screening programmes based on single modality testing may prevent individuals with a preference for a different test from participating. We conducted a population-based trial to determine whether nonparticipants in flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening were willing to attend faecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening. In total, 8,407 subjects were invited in a primary FS screening programme. Invitees did not know at the time of FS invitation that nonparticipants would be offered FIT screening. A total of 4,407 nonparticipants of FS screening were invited for FIT screening (cut-off 50 ng haemoglobin/ml). The participation rate to FS screening was 31% [95% confidence interval (CI): 30-32%]. Among the FS nonparticipants 25% (CI: 24-26%) did attended FIT screening. The participation rate of the two-stage recruitment for FS and FIT screening was 45% (CI: 44-46%). FIT screenees were older (p = 0.02), more often women (p < 0.001) and had a lower social economic status (p = 0.01) than FS screenees. The detection rate (DR) for advanced adenoma was 3.5% (CI: 2.5-4.8%), and for colorectal cancer (CRC) it was 0.3% (CI: 0.1-0.8%) among participants to FIT screening. The DR of the two-stage recruitment was 6.1% (n = 202) for an advanced adenoma and 0.5% (n = 16) for a CRC. In conclusion, offering FIT screening to nonparticipants in a FS screening programme increases the overall participation rate considerably, as a quarter of nonparticipants of FS screening was willing to attend FIT screening. The participation rate remains lower for primary FIT screening in the same population (62%). Women in the target population were more likely to refuse FS than FIT screening. Countries introducing FS screening should be aware of these preferences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. l.hol.1@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Lieke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hol
authors.forename: Ernst J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kuipers
authors.forename: Marjolein
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Ballegooijen
authors.forename: Anneke J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: van Vuuren
authors.forename: Jaqueline C I Y
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Reijerink
authors.forename: Dik J F
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Habbema
authors.forename: Monique E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: van Leerdam
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007120:Immunochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009426:Netherlands; D045808:Refusal to Participate; D012812:Sigmoidoscopy / Q000379:methods*