Surgical outcome of colorectal cancer screening

Abstract

As with all cancer screening programmes, the expected reduction in cancer cases and deaths must be weighed against the burden of screening and possible side effects. The aim of this thesis is to provide insights in consequences of colorectal cancer screening participation from a surgical perspective. We investigated potential harm in terms of serious morbidity from colonoscopy, additional findings on imaging, and psychological impacts following a positive faecal immunochemical test (FIT) result. Second, studies were performed to gain more in-depth insight into surgical referral patterns for benign colorectal lesions and CRC lesions with only submucosal invasion (pT1), thereby contributing to the understanding of whether early diagnosis following CRC screening results in better surgical outcomes. Third, surgical outcomes of screen-detected patients were compared with symptomatic patients.