Colonoscopy for Positive Fecal Immunochemical Test Cannot Wait
Douglas K. Rex, MD, MASGE, reviewing Mutneja HR, et al. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020 Dec 22.
Among 361,637 patients in 6 observational studies, delays in colonoscopy beyond 6 months after a positive fecal blood test were associated with an increased risk of developing advanced-stage colorectal cancer (CRC; odds ratio [OR], 2.16), any CRC (OR, 1.58), or advanced adenomas (OR, 1.17). There were no differences in these endpoints when cutoffs of 1, 2, or 3 months were used.
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CITATION(S)
Mutneja HR, Bhurwal A, Arora S, Vohra I, Attar BM. A delay in colonoscopy after positive fecal tests leads to higher incidence of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020 Dec 22. (Epub ahead of print) (https://doi.org/10.1111/jgh.15381)