Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) aims to detect pre-symptomatic lesions, i.e., early stage colorectal cancers (CRCs) or pre-cancerous lesions such as colonic adenomas in order to reduce CRC mortality. FIT was introduced in France late 2015, FIT has better diagnostic accuracy for CRCs than previous screening tests. Determining the incidence of post-test interval CRCs, diagnosed after a negative FIT and before the recommended date of the next test (2-year interval), allows assessment of the sensitivity of the test. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of FIT during the CRC screening campaign in the Finistère department (France) from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. Its secondary objectives were the evaluation of diagnostic circumstances and their impact on treatment and survival, and risk factors for interval cancer (IC).
Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) was introduced in France late 2015, FIT has better diagnostic accuracy for colorectal cancers (CRCs) than previous screening tests. Our primary objective was to evaluate the sensitivity of FIT and the proportion of interval cancer.