A 3-year interval for multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) colorectal cancer (CRC) screening for those at average risk appears clinically appropriate, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research. Thomas F. Imperiale, MD, and colleagues examined the clinical utility of a 3-year interval for mt-sDNA testing among 2,044 candidates for CRC screening whose clinicians
prescribed the mt-sDNA test, with participants who tested positive completing a colonoscopy and those who tested negative followed annually for 3 years. At baseline, 13.9% had a positive mt-sDNA result and 86.1% were negative. Among the year 3 intention-to-screen cohort (591 with valid mt-sDNA and colonoscopy results), there were no CRCs and 63 advanced precancerous lesions (34.9% detected by mt-sDNA). For CRC, the observed 3-year yield was lower than expected; the yield for advanced precancerous lesions was higher than expected. “Repeat mt-sDNA screening at [3] years may be considered clinically appropriate, as evidenced by the reduced number of observed versus expected CRCs, while identifying advanced precancerous lesions at a rate consistent with the pivotal study,” Dr. Imperiale and colleagues wrote.
