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Lookup NU author(s): Dr David Beaton, Professor Linda SharpORCiD, Professor Matt Rutter
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2026 The Author(s). Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Background: The UK has adopted faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) to triage symptomatic colonoscopy referrals. Objective: Quantify diagnostic yield and independent effects of FIT, age, sex and symptoms on polyp and cancer detection in symptomatic colonoscopy. Design: Nationwide analysis of prospectively collected colonoscopy reports (June 2023–August 2025) from the National Endoscopy Database. Symptomatic procedures, including iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA), were identified and diagnostic yields calculated. Mixed-effects logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with age, sex, symptom group and FIT. Post-estimation margins modelled cancer yield by age, FIT and symptoms. Results: Analysis of 447,109 symptomatic colonoscopies, with FIT recorded in 202,219 (45.2%). Overall cancer yield was 1.9% (95% CI, 1.8–1.9). Cancer yield was 3.8% (95% CI, 3.7–3.9) in FIT ≥ 10, including 2.5% (95% CI, 2.3–2.7) at age 40–49 and 0.6% (95% CI, 0.5–0.7) at age 16–39; yield in FIT < 10 was 0.3% (95% CI, 0.2–0.3). FIT concentration showed a strong, graded association with cancer risk, weaker association with large polyps, and minimal association with small polyps. IDA was associated with higher cancer risk versus rectal bleeding (aOR 2.2, 95% CI, 2.0–2.3; p < 0.01). With FIT < 10, cancer yield exceeded 1% only in IDA patients aged > 80 and remained < 0.5% otherwise. A model combining FIT, age, and IDA detected > 94% of cancers while reducing colonoscopy demand by > 40%. Conclusion: This national analysis demonstrates the superiority of FIT-based triage over symptom-based referral, with FIT ≥ 10 identifying high-risk patients, including those aged 40–49, while FIT < 10 indicated very low risk.
Author(s): Beaton D, Mohamed M, Sharp L, Pohl K, Rutter M
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Year: 2026
Pages: Epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 28/01/2026
Acceptance date: 09/01/2026
Date deposited: 09/02/2026
ISSN (print): 0269-2813
ISSN (electronic): 1365-2036
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.70537
DOI: 10.1111/apt.70537
Data Access Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
PubMed id: 41601400
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