Algorithms for colorectal cancer screening programs

We recently developed an algorithm based on a database of 1300 Italian FIT positive patients. In many European countries where the FIT is used as a primary screening test, 75-80% of all positive subjects return a negative colonoscopy. This greatly burdens NHS, mostly where there's a scarce allocation of resources and contributes to make waiting lists for colonoscopies longer. Sometimes in Italy it takes even 18 months to undergo a colonoscopy, greatly endangering patients' health. With our algorithm we can select those patients at greater risk of returning a positive colonoscopy, potentially reducing all procedures by 42%, making life easier for patients, endoscopists and the NHS.