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World J Gastroenterol. May 28, 2017; 23(20): 3632-3642
Published online May 28, 2017. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i20.3632
Colorectal cancer population screening programs worldwide in 2016: An update
Mercedes Navarro, Andrea Nicolas, Angel Ferrandez, Angel Lanas
Mercedes Navarro, Angel Ferrandez, Angel Lanas, Service of Digestive Diseases, University Clinic Hospital Lozano Blesa, Avenida San Juan Bosco, Zaragoza 50009, Spain
Andrea Nicolas, Angel Lanas, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza 50009, Spain
Angel Lanas, Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza 50009, Spain
Angel Lanas, CIBERehd, Zaragoza 50009, Spain
Author contributions: Lanas A design the outline of the paper and revised the subsequent drafts of the paper; Navarro M and Nicolas A performed the research; Navarro M and Ferrandez A wrote the drafts of the paper; all coauthors provided critical revision for important intellectual content.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Angel Lanas, MD, DSc, AGAF, FACG, Professor, Chairman, Service of Digestive Diseases, University Clinic Hospital Lozano Blesa, Avenida San Juan Bosco, Zaragoza 50009, Spain. alanas@unizar.es
Telephone: +34-976-765700 Fax: +34-976-565995
Received: January 26, 2017
Peer-review started: February 2, 2017
First decision: March 3, 2017
Revised: March 21, 2017
Accepted: May 4, 2017
Article in press: May 4, 2017
Published online: May 28, 2017
Processing time: 120 Days and 3.8 Hours
Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world. The incidence and mortality show wide geographical variations. Screening is recommended to reduce both incidence and mortality. However, there are significant differences among studies in implementation strategies and detection. This review aimed to present the results and strategies of different screening programs worldwide. We reviewed the literature on national and international screening programs published in PubMed, on web pages, and in clinical guidelines. CRC Screening programs are currently underway in most European countries, Canada, specific regions in North and South America, Asia, and Oceania. The most extensive screening strategies were based on fecal occult blood testing, and more recently, the fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Participation in screening has varied greatly among different programs. The Netherlands showed the highest participation rate (68.2%) and some areas of Canada showed the lowest (16%). Participation rates were highest among women and in programs that used the FIT test. Men exhibited the greatest number of positive results. The FIT test has been the most widely used screening program worldwide. The advent of this test has increased participation rates and the detection of positive results.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; Colorectal cancer screening; Fecal occult blood test; Fecal immunochemical test; Colonoscopy

Core tip: Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. The incidence and mortality show wide geographical variations across the world. Screening is recommended to reduce both, however, there are significant differences among studies in implementation strategies and detection. This review aimed to present the results and strategies of different screening programs worldwide.