Turrin A, Zorzi M, Giorgi Rossi P, Senore C, Campari C, Fedato C, Naldoni C, Anghinoni E, Carrozzi G, Bianchi PS, Zappa M; Italian colorectal cancer screening survey group.

Prev Med. 2015 Dec;81:132-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.08.016. Epub 2015 Sep 7.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Colorectal cancer screening programmes in Italy invite 50-69-year-old residents for a faecal immunochemical test every two years, regardless of their citizenship.

METHODS
The 2013 National Survey on Italian colorectal cancer screening programmes compared immigrants born in low- or middle-income countries with subjects who were born in Italy, by collecting aggregated data on compliance, faecal immunochemical test results, compliance with colonoscopy, detected lesions and stage at diagnosis separately for Italians and immigrants.

RESULTS
Overall, 85 screening programmes invited 3,292,451 subjects, of whom 192,629 had been born abroad (5.9%). Compliance with invitation was lower in immigrants (34.3% vs. 51.3% in Italians), with p<0.001. Compliance was higher in females, regardless of the country of birth, in the youngest age group of immigrants but in the oldest of Italians. Immigrants showed a borderline excess of standardised faecal immunochemical test positivity rate at first screening (5.4% vs. 5.1% in Italians, p=0.05) and a significant excess at repeat screenings (4.8% vs. 4.4%, p=0.002). The detection rates for carcinoma and advanced adenomas were lower in immigrants than in Italians at first screening (respectively 1.34‰ vs. 1.62‰ and 8.41‰ vs. 9.25‰) - although the differences were not statistically significant - but not at repeat screening (respectively 1.06‰ vs. 0.98‰ and 6.90‰ vs. 6.79‰).

CONCLUSIONS
Migrants showed a lower compliance with screening than Italians. The prevalence of neoplasia was lower at first screening and similar to the Italians' at repeat screenings.

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pubmed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26358527