ArticleBritish journal of cancer2025
The diagnostic accuracy of the faecal immunochemical test for the detection of early-onset colorectal cancer: an age-stratified analysis in South West England.
Article in British journal of cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: From Epidemiologic Shift to Life-Course Carcinogenesis and Age-Attuned Care.Current oncology reports · 2026Review
- Positive Predictive Value of Symptoms for Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2026Article
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9 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is rising rapidly, with diagnoses typically occurring at a more advanced stage than late-onset CRC. In the absence of screening for younger patients, diagnosis relies on symptomatic presentation. The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) is a diagnostic triage tool for patients presenting with clinical features of CRC in primary care, though its performance in individuals under 50 years is not well established.
methodsA cohort of 38,117 symptomatic patients aged 18-49 years in upper South West England underwent FIT in primary care between 01/01/2021 and 10/07/2023. A FIT result of ≥10 µg Hb/g faeces was considered positive. In the same region, 528 EOCRC diagnoses were recorded between 01/01/2021 and 10/10/2024.
resultsOf the 528 EOCRC patients, 105 (20%) underwent FIT in the year before diagnosis. The sensitivity of FIT was 92.4% (95% CI 85.5-96.7%), specificity was 88.5% (88.2-88.8%), positive predictive value (PPV) was 2.2% (1.8-2.6%), and negative predictive value was 100% (100-100%). PPVs decreased in younger age groups (18-29, 30-39, 40-49 years).
conclusionsFIT performs excellently for patients aged 40-49; however, it may not be used optimally in patients <40 years. A more targeted strategy is needed to guide investigation in younger patients.
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