Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39764729›Full record

ArticleAlimentary pharmacology & therapeutics2025

COLOFIT: Development and Internal-External Validation of Models Using Age, Sex, Faecal Immunochemical and Blood Tests to Optimise Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer in Symptomatic Patients.

C J Crooks, J West, J Jones, W Hamilton, S E R Bailey, G Abel, A Banerjea, C J Rees, A Tamm, B D Nicholson and 4 more

Abstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Observational
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  5. Observational
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  8. Is now the time to rethink risk thresholds in cancer referral guidelines?The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

C J CrooksGastrointestinal and Liver Theme, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, School of Medicine, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6794-6621
J WestGastrointestinal and Liver Theme, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, School of Medicine, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1135-9356
J JonesNottingham Colorectal Service, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
W HamiltonUniversity of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
S E R BaileyUniversity of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
G AbelUniversity of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
A BanerjeaNottingham Colorectal Service, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3094-2870
C J ReesPopulation Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
A TammNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
B D NicholsonNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0661-7362
S C BentonRoyal Surrey County Foundation NHS Trust, Guildford, UK.
N HuntEast Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Burnley, UK.
COLOFIT Research Group
D J HumesGastrointestinal and Liver Theme, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, School of Medicine, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7071-4098

Funding

National Institute for Health and Care Research 133852
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the United Kingdom and the second largest cause of cancer death.

aimTo develop and validate a model using available information at the time of faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) in primary care to improve selection of symptomatic patients for CRC investigations.

methodsWe included all adults (≥ 18 years) referred to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust between 2018 and 2022 with symptoms of suspected CRC who had a FIT. Predicted 1-year CRC diagnosis were calculated, and externally validated, using Cox proportional hazards modelling with selected multiple fractional polynomial transformations for age, faecal haemoglobin concentration (f-Hb) value, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), platelet count and sex.

resultsAt a CRC risk threshold of 0.6% (equivalent to f-Hb = 10 μg Hb/g (μg/g)) overall performance of the validated model across age strata using Harrell's C index was ≥ 0.91% (overall C-statistic 93%, 95% CI 92%-95%) with acceptable calibration. Using this model yields similar numbers of detected and missed cancers, but requires ~20% fewer investigations than a f-Hb ≥ 10 μg/g strategy. For approximately 100,000 people per year with symptoms of suspected CRC, we predict it might save > 4500 colonoscopies with no evidence that more cancers would be missed if we used our model compared to using FIT f-Hb ≥ 10 μg/g.

conclusionsIncluding age, sex, MCV, platelets and f-Hb in a survival analysis model to predict the risk of CRC yields greater diagnostic utility than a simple binary cut off f-Hb ≥ 10 μg/g.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsFecesOccult BloodAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAge FactorsEarly Detection of CancerFemaleHemoglobinsHumansMaleMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsSex FactorsUnited KingdomHemoglobins

Identifiers

PMID39764729
PMCPMC11825929

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.