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The First Screening Program for Colorectal Cancer in the North of Iran

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Abstract

Purpose

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths. This screening aimed to determine the positivity of the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and the results of colonoscopy among a medium-risk population in the northern regions of Iran.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 on 924 eligible samples from people over the age of 50. After completing the questionnaire, participants were referred to a laboratory for three immunochemical fecal occult blood tests (IFOBTs). If the result of at least one test was found to be positive, they were submitted to the state hospital for colonoscopy. Results were recorded according to the number of people with CRC, polyps, and other diseases.

Results

Among a total number of 897 (97.1%) cases, at least two acceptable samples were sent to the laboratory and in 229 (25.5%) cases, at least one case was IFOBT-positive. Finally, 118 (64.1%) cases were referred to the hospital for colonoscopy; among these, 5 colonoscopies were incomplete, while 113 had complete colonoscopies with 42 healthy subjects, 3 cases of cancer, 28 cases of polyps, and other diseases identified in the remaining patients.

Conclusions

Based on the results, the prevalence of positive IFOBT, polyps, and cancer was high. The results of this study will play an important role in establishing a CRC screening program in the country. With reference to the status of the general population, the target group in the country should be reviewed and not limited to the first-degree relatives of patients.

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Acknowledgments

The assistance and cooperation of the Health Deputy at the Babol University of Medical Sciences and all other staff at health centers who helped us in the data collection process are highly appreciated.

Funding

A substantial part of this study was supported by the Research Council of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Grant Number: 95-01-42-13948).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

    Hossein-Ali Nikbakht, Hassan Ashrafian-Amiri, Ali Jafarnia, Sedigheh Alijanpour & Seyed-Mostaffa Mirzad

  2. Gastroenterology Department. Rohani Hospital, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

    Javad Shokri-Shirvani

  3. Research Center for Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Haleh Ghaem

  4. GI Cancer Screening and Prevention Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

    Soheil Hassanipour

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  1. Hossein-Ali Nikbakht
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Haleh Ghaem.

Ethics declarations

This study was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the Helsinki Declaration. The study was approved by ethics committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences No. IR.SUMS.REC.1396.S5807.The questionnaires were completed through face-to-face interviews, a description of research goals, and receiving informed written consent via trained interviewers.

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Nikbakht, HA., Shokri-Shirvani, J., Ashrafian-Amiri, H. et al. The First Screening Program for Colorectal Cancer in the North of Iran. J Gastrointest Canc 51, 165–171 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-019-00226-9

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