Management of T1 colorectal cancers detected at screening colonoscopy: A study from the French national screening programme

Dig Liver Dis. 2020 Aug;52(8):909-917. doi: 10.1016/j.dld.2020.04.022. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Abstract

Aim: The main aim of this study was to examine the management strategies that were used and to determine the outcomes (survival and recurrence rate) of screen-detected T1-CRC.

Methods: Medical records from 207 patients with T1-CRC diagnosed through the French national screening programme in one district from 2003 to 2015 were analysed. The 5-year overall, CRC-specific and CRC-free survival were calculated for the whole cohort and for the 3 groups treated by endoscopic resection (ER) alone, ER followed by subsequent surgery (ERSS), and primary surgery (PS).

Results: Of the 207 patients, 81 (39%) underwent PS, and 126 (61%) underwent primary ER, of whom 82 (64%) underwent subsequent surgery. The 5-year overall and cancer-specific survival rates were 95.5% (95% CI, 90.8; 97.9) and 98.8% (95% CI, 95.4; 99.7%), respectively. Long-term cancer-specific mortality and recurrence crude rates were 2.4% and 5.6%, respectively. The 5-year CRC-free survival rate was 96.1% (95% CI, 91.8; 98.1%) and did not differ amongst the 3 groups (ER alone, ERSS and PS).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates the good prognosis of screen-detected T1-CRC, regardless of the treatment strategy used. But, there is a room to improve the screening programme quality with regard to the management of screen-detected CRC.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer prognosis; Colorectal cancer screening; Endoscopic therapy; Surgical treatment; T1 colorectal cancer.

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnosis
  • Adenocarcinoma / epidemiology
  • Adenocarcinoma / pathology
  • Adenocarcinoma / surgery*
  • Aged
  • Colonoscopy / statistics & numerical data*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Early Detection of Cancer / methods
  • Early Detection of Cancer / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • France
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Screening / methods
  • Middle Aged
  • Occult Blood
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Assessment