Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41646493›Full record

ArticleESMO gastrointestinal oncology2025

Re-evaluating population-level screening recommendations to address increasing early-onset colorectal cancer rates in Australia: a modelling study.

J-B Lew, J Worthington, H Ge, Q Luo, E Feletto, K Canfell, T Price, Cancer Council Australia Colorectal Cancer Screening Working Party

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in ESMO gastrointestinal oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Emerging trends in the global burden of colorectal cancer.Nature reviews. Clinical oncology · 2026
    Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
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

8 authors.

J-B LewThe Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, a joint venture with Cancer Council New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
J WorthingtonThe Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, a joint venture with Cancer Council New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
H GeThe Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, a joint venture with Cancer Council New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Q LuoThe Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, a joint venture with Cancer Council New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
E FelettoThe Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, a joint venture with Cancer Council New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
K CanfellSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
T PriceSolid Tumour Group, Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Health Research, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville South, Adelaide, Australia.
Cancer Council Australia Colorectal Cancer Screening Working Party

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) sends free immunochemical faecal occult blood tests (iFOBTs) to eligible Australians aged 50-74 every 2 years. Rising early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) rates in people under 50 have raised questions around optimising the NBCSP, contributing to the rationale for updating Australian CRC screening guidelines. To support this, alternative screening age ranges and approaches were evaluated. Methods: A microsimulation model was used to estimate the impact of 2-yearly iFOBT screening starting at age 40, 45 or 50 and/or stopping at 74, 79, or 84 in cohorts with rising incidence rates. Yearly iFOBT screening and 5-yearly stool biomarker testing were also analysed. Results: Lowering screening start ages to 45 or 40 could reduce CRC mortality rates by 5% and 10%, respectively, while extending stop ages to 79 or 85 could reduce CRC mortality rates by 3% and 5%, respectively. Lowering the start age would be more cost-effective and have a more favourable balance of benefits to harms versus raising the stop age. Conclusion: As early-onset CRC rates increase, lowering the screening start age could reduce CRC burden while remaining cost-effective and limiting harms. Based on these findings and implementation considerations, the Cancer Council Australia Colorectal Cancer Screening Working Party determined that 2-yearly iFOBT screening from age 45 to 74 was the most favourable. These analyses supported the 2023

Indexed as

colorectal cancerepidemiologyhealth economicsmodellingprevention and early detectionscreening

Identifiers

PMID41646493
PMCPMC12836694

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.