ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Organized colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is not widely practiced in Latin America and the results of regional studies may help overcome barriers for implementation of national screening programs. We aimed to describe the implementation and findings of a fecal immunochemical test (FIT)-based program in Brazil. METHODS: In a prospective population-based study, asymptomatic individuals (50-75 years old) from Sao Paulo city were invited to undergo FIT for CRC screening. Participants with positive FIT (≥10 µg Hb/g feces) were referred for colonoscopy. Subjects were classified into groups according to the presence of CRC, precursor lesions, and other benign findings, possibly related to bleeding. RESULTS: Of a total of 9881 subjects, 7.8% had positive FIT and colonoscopy compliance was 68.9% (n = 535). Boston scale was considered adequate in 99% and cecal intubation rate was 99.4%. CRC was diagnosed in 5.9% of the cases, adenoma in 63.2%, advanced adenoma in 31.4%, and advanced neoplasia in 33.0%. Age was positively associated with CRC (P = .03). Higher FIT concentrations were associated with increased detection of CRC (P < .008), advanced adenoma (P < .001), and advanced neoplasia (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a FIT-based CRC screening program was feasible in a low-resource setting, and there was a high yield for neoplasia in individuals with a positive FIT. This approach could be used as a model to plan and disseminate organized CRC screening more broadly in Brazil and Latin America.
Subject(s)
Colonoscopy , Colorectal Neoplasms , Early Detection of Cancer , Humans , Middle Aged , Colorectal Neoplasms/diagnosis , Female , Male , Aged , Early Detection of Cancer/methods , Colonoscopy/methods , Colonoscopy/statistics & numerical data , Prospective Studies , Brazil/epidemiology , Feces/chemistry , Occult BloodABSTRACT
Introduction: Colonoscopy enables detailed endoscopic evaluation of the interior of the colon. Changes observed via colonoscopy may be subtle or pronounced and can sometimes mimic those of other diseases, such as deep intestinal endometriosis. The diagnosis of endometriosis in the distal sigmoid and rectum by colonoscopy has been described in previous case reports. Objective: We aimed to correlate the endoscopic changes found in the distal sigmoid and rectum with the presence of endometrial deposits confirmed by transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). Methods: We included 50 female patients referred to the endoscopy department at our institution for colonoscopy, rectosigmoidoscopy, or TRUS, who exhibited one or more symptoms associated with endometriosis. Results: The colonoscopic findings were normal in 36 patients but showed alterations in 14 patients. Among the latter, TRUS revealed involvement of the sigmoid and/or rectal wall in 11 patients. Conclusions: The endoscopic changes in the distal sigmoid or rectum described in this study were strongly associated with endometrial deposits confirmed using TRUS. (AU)
