Preliminary Results: Colorectal Cancer Screening Using Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) in a Thai Population Aged 45-74 Years: A Population-Based Randomized Controlled Trial

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

1 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department, Faculty of Public Health, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

2 ASEAN Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

3 Cancer Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

4 Khon Kaen Regional Hospital, Khon Kaen Province, Khon Kaen, Thailand.

5 Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

6 Namphong District Hospital, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand.

7 Namphong District Health Center, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand.

8 College of Oral Medicine, School of Oral Hygiene, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan.

9 Department of Health Care Management, College of Management, Chang Gung University, Taiwan.

10 Department of Health Industry Management, School of Healthcare Management, Kainan University, Taiwan.

11 Institute of Epidemiology and Prevention Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taiwan.

Abstract

 
Objective: The aim of this paper is to provide some details and the results to date of a colorectal cancer screening trial using a fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Methods: A population-based randomized controlled trial began in May, 2016. All people aged 45 to 74 years living in Nam Phong District, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand, and willing to participate are being recruited using an outreach method. Enrolled participants are randomly allocated by a computer-generated randomization program either to a study arm (receive sample kit for FIT) or to a control arm (no provision of kit). Positive FIT cases are subsequently confirmed by a colonoscopy examination, and negative FIT cases are re-tested with FIT every two years. The preliminary results to date were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 1,060 enrolled participants provided a complete set of data. Of those randomly assigned to the study arm and tested by FIT, 92 (8.7%) were found to be positive, 39 (11.5%) males and 53 (7.4%) females. The f-Hb concentrations at the 75th, 90th and 95th percentiles for all age groups were higher in males than in females, and the distributions of f-Hb concentration varied with age, especially at the 95th percentile where f-Hb concentrations increased with age. Conclusion: The preliminary results of our screening trial have indicated that the prevalence of positive FIT cases is higher than in a similar recent and, at the time unique, previous study in Thailand. This finding is especially the case for males and those in the older age groups.

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