Colorectal Cancer Screening and Adverse Event Assessment
Summary
Colorectal cancer screening encompasses a range of modalities designed to detect premalignant lesions and early-stage cancers before symptoms arise. Strategies include noninvasive stool tests, notably faecal immunochemical testing, and direct visualization through colonoscopy. Colonoscopy permits identification and removal of polyps but carries inherent procedural risks such as bleeding, perforation and sedation-related events. Adverse event assessment forms a critical component of screening programmes, informing risk–benefit analyses, guideline development and patient counselling. Age, comorbidity and procedural factors influence complication rates, while innovations in device technology and monitoring aim to mitigate risk. An individualised approach to screening intervals and modality selection seeks to optimise detection rates while minimising harm, with particular attention to older adults and those with coexisting conditions.
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Colorectal Cancer Screening and Adverse Event Assessment publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in colorectal cancer screening and adverse event assessment across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Colonoscopy: Endoscopic examination of the large bowel using a flexible instrument to visualise and treat lesions.
Fecal immunochemical test (FIT): Laboratory assay that detects human blood in stool as a noninvasive indicator of colorectal neoplasia.
Perforation: Full-thickness tear of the gastrointestinal wall, a serious complication of endoscopic intervention.
Adverse event: Unintended medical occurrence related to a procedure, ranging from mild discomfort to life-threatening injury.
Polypectomy: Endoscopic removal of mucosal polyps, which reduces cancer risk but may increase bleeding or perforation risk.
References
- Association Between Age and Complications After Outpatient Colonoscopy. JAMA Network Open (2020).
- Colonoscopy-Related Mortality in a Fecal Immunochemical Test–Based Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2020).
- A Pressure Sensing Device to Assist in Colonoscopic Procedures to Prevent Perforation—A Case Study. Sensors (2024).
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