Colon cancer is one of the most frequent tumors and one of the main causes of cancer mortality. It develops from precancerous lesions called Polypswhich can evolve to a malignant tumor if they are not detected and eliminated in time.
The Early detection It is key to preventing disease or diagnosing it in initial phases, when treatment is more effective and the possibilities of healing are greater. Currently, there are two main screening strategies: the hidden blood test in feces, which allows to detect microscopic remains of blood indicative of precancerous lesions or tumors; and the Colonoscopyconsidered the most accurate test for early detection and that allows the colon to be explored directly and eliminate the polyps before they transform into cancer.
Now a Spanish study shows that people are more And that, in addition, both have a similar efficacy.
Posted in magazine ‘The Lancet‘, the study reinforces the importance of screening programs and demonstrates that the hidden blood test in feces is a key tool for the early detection of colorectal cancer, thus improving survival rates and reducing the mortality associated with this disease.
Coordinated by researchers of the Clinic-Idibaps and of hUniversity Ospital of the Canary Islands, The study conducted in 57,000 people compared the effectiveness of these two main strategies of Colon and straight cancer screening. After ten years of monitoring, the results show that both strategies are similar in the detection of colorectal cancer and in their ability to reduce the mortality associated with this tumor.
Project researchers Colonprevthe first study in the world that compares both screening strategies, started from the hypothesis that the hidden blood test, being less invasive and easier to accept for the population, would not be inferior to colonoscopy in terms of reducing mortality from colon and straight cancer mortality.
Participants, 50 and 69 -year -old men from eight Spanish autonomous communities (Aragon, Canary Islands, Catalonia, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, Basque Country and Valencia), were divided into two groups: colonoscopy or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) every two years (five in total). The main objective was to compare colorectal cancer mortality after ten years.
The results showed that the Participation in the screening was greater in the hidden blood test group in feces (40%) compared to the colonoscopy group (about 32%).
On the other hand, the mortality from colorectal cancer after 10 years was similar in both groups: 0.22% in the colonoscopy group and 0.24% in the group of the fecal immunochemical test. So was the incidence of these tumors. This indicates that the test is equally effective as colonoscopy to reduce mortality from colorectal cancer within screening programs.
A previous article of the same project, focused on the results obtained in the first round of the screening program and published in ‘The New England Journal of Medicine‘, I had already shown that Both strategies detected the same number of tumors.
Mortality
However, this new work goes further by demonstrating that they are also equivalent in terms of reduction of coloring cancer mortality.
Antoni CastellsAssistance Director of the Clinic Barcelona Hospital, Head of the Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Oncology Group of IDIBAPS and the CiberehdIt emphasizes that “these results have great relevance, since they show that a non -invasive test such as the hidden blood test can be an viable alternative to colonoscopy for the screening of colorectal cancer.”
In this sense, Enrique Quinterogastroenterologist at the University Hospital of the Canary Islands and professor at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, points out that “this could increase participation in screening programs, since the fecal immunochemical test is more comfortable and less invasive for those who wish to participate. In addition, implementing this test could be more cost-effective and accessible to a most of the population ».
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