Ethical concerns prevented the researchers from assessing the efficacy of FIT for more than 3 years, they said. In addition, participants knew they could opt out of their assigned screening method before providing informed consent, which could have biased rates of detection of advanced CRC, the researchers noted. However, these rates did not significantly differ between diagnostic groups, they said. The study did not look at sessile serrated or traditional serrated polyps, because the study was designed when these polyps were still considered hyperplastic and nonmalignant, the investigators noted.
Future studies should evaluate the acceptance of FIT-based screening and its effects on mortality in familial CRC, the researchers concluded.
Their study was supported by grants from Fundación Canaria para la Investigación Sanitaria, Caja de Canarias, and Departmento de Medicina Interna de la Universidad de La Laguna. They reported having no conflicts of interest.