BSG guidelines on faecal immunochemical testing: are they 'FIT for purpose?

The use of faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for patients with features of possible colorectal cancer (CRC) has increased significantly over recent years. The UK has been slower to adopt FIT than several other countries, especially in Scandinavia.1 Colonoscopy remains the ‘gold-standard’ test with high sensitivity and specificity, and allows biopsy of lesions and removal of polyps. However, endoscopy services in the UK (and internationally) are under huge pressure, with demand outstripping capacity, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is imperative to develop tools to stratify individuals at greatest risk of CRC, allowing those people to undergo definitive investigation. The patient’s symptoms can do this to a limited extent, for example, rectal bleeding is a higher risk for CRC than diarrhoea. This principle underpinned the National Institute for Healthcare and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance, ‘Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12).2 This defined features...
Source: Gut - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: Gut Commentary Source Type: research