A recent case-control study reveals that screening for colorectal cancer using fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) is associated with a significant reduction in mortality risk. The study, which analyzed 10,000 individuals, found that those who completed at least one FIT screening in the five years prior had a 33 percent lower risk of dying from colorectal cancer overall. The reduction in mortality was even more pronounced at 42 percent for cancers located in the left colon and rectum.
Joanne E. Schottinger, MD, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson of Medicine (KPSOM) Associate Professor of Health Systems Science, and Theodore Robert Levin, MD, MS, KPSOM Professor of Health Systems Science, coauthored the study, “Fecal Immunochemical Test Screening and Risk of Colorectal Cancer Death,” published by JAMA Network Open.
The study also highlights that FIT screening is effective across different racial and ethnic groups, including non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic white individuals. These findings provide strong evidence supporting the use of FIT as part of population-based screening programs to reduce colorectal cancer mortality, particularly for cancers in the left colon and rectum.
