Skip to main content

Advanced Neoplasia Risk Increased at Upper Range of Negative FIT Values

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 7, 2023.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Nov. 7, 2023 -- Individuals in the upper range of fecal immunochemical test (FIT)-negative screening have an increased risk for advanced neoplasia (AN), according to a research letter published online Nov. 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Tobias Niedermaier, Ph.D., from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, and colleagues provided a dose-response analysis of the association between fecal hemoglobin concentrations and the presence of AN (colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma) in an ongoing study involving participants of screening colonoscopy in Germany. A quantitative FIT was performed before screening colonoscopy. Data were included for 7,398 participants; 90.0 percent had fecal hemoglobin concentrations below the recommended FIT cutoff (17 µg/g).

The researchers found that 41 and 81 percent of all participants had hemoglobin concentrations <1.7 and <8 µg/g feces, respectively. There was an increase observed in the prevalence of AN, from 6 percent among those with hemoglobin concentrations <1.7 µg/g to 22 percent in the highest group of participants with FIT-negative results and up to 51 percent for those with FIT-positive results. Positivity was 9.9 percent at a FIT cutoff of 17 µg/g; sensitivity and positive predictive value for AN detection were 39 percent, while specificity and negative predictive value were 93 percent.

"Those in the upper range of negative FIT values are at higher risk for colorectal cancer than those in the lower range," the authors write. "Despite increased complexity, this suggests a benefit from personalized screening intervals."

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted November 2023

Read this next

Implantable Continuous Flow Device Feasible for Small Children With Severe Systolic Heart Failure

FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- The Jarvik 2015 left ventricular assist device (LVAD) seems promising as an implantable continuous flow device for small children with severe systolic...

Clinical Practice Guideline Developed for Age-Related Hearing Loss

FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- In a clinical practice guideline issued by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation and published online April 30 in...

Large Language Models Fall Short in Breast Imaging Classification

FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- Large language models (LLMs) appear to fall short in classification of breast imaging, which can have a negative impact on clinical management, according...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.