title: Increased survival and decreased recurrence in colorectal cancer patients diagnosed in a screening programme.
abstract: Population-based screening programmes for colorectal cancer (CRC) allow an early diagnosis, even before the onset of symptoms, but there are few studies and none in Spain on the influence they have on patient survival. The aim of the present study is to show that patients receiving surgery for CRC following diagnosis via a screening programme have a higher survival and disease-free survival rate than those diagnosed in the symptomatic stage.
  
  
  
  Prospective study of all the patients undergoing programmed surgery for CRC at the JM Morales Meseguer Hospital in Murcia (Spain) between 2004 and 2010. The patients were divided into two groups: (a) those diagnosed through screening (125 cases); and (b) those diagnosed in the symptomatic stage (565 cases). Survival and disease-free survival were analysed and compared for both groups using the Mantel method.
  
  
  
  The screen-detected CRC patients show a higher rate of survival (86.3% versus 72.1% at 5 years, p<0.05) and a lower rate of tumour recurrence (73.4% versus 88.3% at 5 years, p<0.05).
  
  
  
  Population-based screening for CRC is an effective strategic measure for reducing mortality specific to this neoplasia.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Digestive Surgery, Morales Meseguer Hospital, Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: mmengual@msn.com.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mengual-Ballester
authors.affiliation: The Department of Digestive Surgery, Morales Meseguer Hospital, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pellicer-Franco
authors.affiliation: The Department of Digestive Surgery, Morales Meseguer Hospital, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Graciela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valero-Navarro
authors.affiliation: The Department of Digestive Surgery, Morales Meseguer Hospital, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Victoriano
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soria-Aledo
authors.affiliation: The Department of Digestive Surgery, Morales Meseguer Hospital, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: José Andrés
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: García-Marín
authors.affiliation: The Department of Digestive Surgery, Morales Meseguer Hospital, Murcia, Spain; Department of Surgery, Mare Nostrum International Excellence Campus, University Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Aguayo-Albasini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Cancer screening; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal cancer recurrence; Colorectal cancer screening; Colorectal cancer survival