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Colorectal cancer: preventable and treatable
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women. CRC is preventable by polypectomy, and, with proper screening, it can be found in early stages when the disease is most treatable, minimising morbidity and mortality. The American Cancer Society recommends screening for average-risk adults to start at age 50, but about half of the people who should be screened are not screened. The faecal occult blood test (FOBT) is an inexpensive and convenient CRC screening option. A positive FOBT should be followed with a diagnostic colonoscopy.1
Effects of repeated invitations for screening
Steele and associates extended 645 362 invitations for CRC screening to Scottish adults, aged 50–69 years. Each participant received three invitations for screening with guaiac FOBT (Hema-Screen; Immunostics, Ocean, New Jersey, USA) in each of three …
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Competing interests None.