Abstract
Introduction. The screening programmes are very challenging
from the ethical perspective, and their impact in terms of morbidity
and mortality make secondary colorectal cancer prevention a
valuable public health intervention.
Methods. The target population people aged 50-69 years receive
an invitation card with a test-tube for the fecal occult blood test
(FOBT) and an immunochemical test is used for fecal occult
blood. Subjects positive to FOBT are invited to perform a gastroenterologic
examination and a full colonoscopy.
Results. In the firt round of screening, 100% of the target population
has been invited with an adhesion rate of 41.3%. A total of
1,739 FOBT-positive subjects have been invited to the second level
of the screening. 1,429 of them have performed the gastroenterologic
examination (83.9%). To date 956 full colonoscopies have
been completed and the rate of subjects affected by carcinoma,
malignant polyp and advanced adenoma has been equal to 23.5%.
Discussion. Thanks to the reminders already sent, an increasing
compliance has been registered with an increased rate of subjects
with a low schooling that have performed a FOBT test. With the
aim to optimize all the operative aspects of the screening programme
it is already ongoing a set of meetings between health
workers of Local Health Unit 4 and General Practioners.
