Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42555038›Full record

ArticleJAMA network open2026

Colorectal Cancer Mortality Following an Organized Fecal Immunochemical Test-Based Screening Program.

Luis Bujanda, Beatriz Val, Isabel Portillo Villares, Isabel Idigoras-Rubio, Jesus M Banales, Maria A Gutierrez-Stampa, Arantza Lopez de Munain, Covadonga Audicana, Oscar Calleja, Joaquín Cubiella and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JAMA network open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

11 authors.

Luis BujandaDepartment of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute-Donostia University Hospital, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
Beatriz ValDepartment of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute-Donostia University Hospital, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
Isabel Portillo VillaresBasque Country Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme, Osakidetza, Basque Health Service, Biocruces Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain.
Isabel Idigoras-RubioBasque Country Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme, Osakidetza, Basque Health Service, Biocruces Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain.
Jesus M BanalesDepartment of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute-Donostia University Hospital, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
Maria A Gutierrez-StampaAltza Primary Care Health Center, OSI Donostialdea, Osakidetza, Basque Health Service, Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain.
Arantza Lopez de MunainDepartamento de Salud, Gobierno Vasco, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
Covadonga AudicanaDepartamento de Salud, Gobierno Vasco, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
Oscar CallejaDepartamento de Salud, Gobierno Vasco, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
Joaquín CubiellaResearch Group in Gastrointestinal Oncology Ourense, University Hospital of Ourense, Ourense, Spain.
Laura Izquierdo-SanchezDepartment of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute-Donostia University Hospital, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Importance: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Organized screening programs using the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) have been implemented to reduce CRC mortality through early detection. Objectives: To evaluate the association between an organized FIT-based screening program and CRC-specific mortality in a population-based setting. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective, population-based cohort study included all residents of the Basque Country, Spain (approximately 2.2 million inhabitants) between 2004 and 2024. The FIT-based CRC screening program targeting individuals aged 50 to 69 years was initiated in 2009. Individuals aged less than 50 years were included in the study as a nonscreening reference group. Data analysis was performed in April 2026. Exposure: Biennial screening of asymptomatic individuals aged 50 to 69 years using single-sample FIT. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) for CRC per 100 000 population (based on the European Standard Population 2013) and annual mortality trends from 2004 through 2024 were calculated. Segmented regression and counterfactual analyses estimated changes in CRC mortality after screening implementation. Screening participation, FIT positivity, colonoscopy adherence, CRC detection rates, and cancer stage distribution were also evaluated. Results: Among 438 134 total deaths (50.9% in men) in a population of approximately 2.2. million, 16 298 (3.7%) were attributable to CRC. Age-standardized CRC mortality declined from 32.8 to 23.1 deaths per 100 000 population between 2004 and 2024 (reduction of 29.6%; P = .002). In individuals aged 50 to 69 years, CRC mortality declined by 50.1% (from 39.7 to 19.8 deaths per 100 000 population). Segmented regression identified a significant inflection point in the year 2012 (95% CI, 2011-2014; P < .001), 3 years after screening implementation. Counterfactual analyses estimated a 46.2% relative reduction in CRC mortality in the group aged 50 to 69 years compared with projected trends without screening. Among individuals aged 70 years or older, CRC mortality declined by 19.6% (from 165.4 to 132.9 deaths per 100 000 population), corresponding to a 45.4% relative reduction compared with projected rates. Overall, 3464 of 4892 screen-detected CRCs (70.8%) were diagnosed at stage I or II throughout the study period. Conclusions and Relevance: In this retrospective, population-based, descriptive cohort study, organized FIT-based screening was associated with a sustained decline in CRC mortality, particularly among individuals aged 50 to 69 years. These findings support the long-term benefit of organized FIT-based screening programs as a public health strategy to reduce CRC-related mortality.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsEarly Detection of CancerMass ScreeningOccult BloodAgedColonoscopyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSpain

Identifiers

PMID42555038
PMCPMC13444803

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.